2012 marks the start of a momentous year for the NHS. During its course a frightening number of plates need to be borne aloft. The chances of one or more crashing to the ground are substantial. Those with the NHS’s best interests at heart look on with trepidation, while a sense of expectation is evident amongst those convinced that demographic and financial forces doom it to failure.
Certainly, the need for financial grip, as Sir David Nicholson describes it, is paramount. At this stage in the QIPP programme some significant savings have been claimed on the commissioning side of the fence but if this simply puts acute trusts into deficit, little will have been achieved. And, as Stephen Dorrell has frequently pointed out, we are only at the beginning of an unprecedented period of austerity. To what will be the mounting horror of MPs, hospital closures therefore look like an unavoidable necessity but even if the political courage is summoned to see such rationalisation through, PPI deals may erode the benefits.
Meanwhile, the transformation of PCTs into CCGs will also be fraught with risk. To mitigate this, the PCT clusters are being positioned as a necessary port of call for commissioning support. The result could, however, be disillusion on the part of those clinical leaders who feel that the liberation promised by Andrew Lansley has been strangled at birth. Meanwhile, industry will be similarly puzzled about whether it’s all change or no change where the identity of customers is concerned.
So are there any grounds for optimism, despite the gloom? A lot hinges on whether NHS leaders are genuinely capable of doing things differently and given the leeway to see it through. As a consultancy, JMC Partners is much involved in specialised commissioning where there are certainly opportunities to combine improved standards of care with greater efficiency. The specialised arena will also be at the forefront of the government’s drive to support innovation.
So Happy New Year to everyone we work with. As staunch supporters of the NHS, we look forward to proving the doubters wrong.
- January 9, 2012 posted by John Murray | Permalink
