David Cameron: even my family is worried by NHS reforms

Prime minister makes admission during visit to London hospital in face of opposition to GPs policy

David Cameron spoke yesterday of concern within his own family over the government's planned reforms of the health service, admitting publicly that even his brother-in-law was not convinced by the changes.

Dr Carl Brookes is married to the prime minister's sister Tania and works as a cardiologist in Basingstoke for the North Hampshire NHS trust.

Speaking during a visit to a London hospital, Cameron raised the topic himself, telling assembled doctors and nurses: "My brother-in-law is a hospital doctor and he says 'you're giving too much power to the GPs, and hospitals will be disadvantaged.'"

Meanwhile, more than half of GPs responding to a survey by the Royal College of General Practitioners said they were concerned that the proposed health reforms would not lead to improvements in care for patients. The findings, from an online poll of 1,800 medics, are a blow to the government as family doctors are central to its plans with 80bn of NHS spending handed over to GPs to purchase care for patients.

Cameron yesterday appeared to suggest the NHS might not be free in the future if the changes did not go ahead, saying the health service would become "increasingly unaffordable" and that the "biggest risk" would be inaction.

"If you look at the growth of the elderly population, look at the new drugs that are coming on stream, the new treatments, if we keep the system we have now and don't make changes to cut bureaucracy and waste, I think it will become increasingly unaffordable," he said.

As parliament began debating the health and social care bill, the shadow health secretary, John Healey, said: "The bill is a false prospectus. In the Tories' new NHS, it is national competition regulation which will call the shots, not GPs or patients. If private companies bid to undercut local hospital services, GPs will have to take the work away from the hospital. This i! s not wh at people expected when David Cameron promised to protect the NHS." Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, said the coalition's reforms were picking up from where Labour failed to implement their policy of modernisation.


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