Though the healthcare system in England needs to keep changing to keep up with modern expectations and finite resources, this can be done within the existing framework of the NHS. The proposed reforms are worrying because:

·         There is little evidence to support the changes, which are essentially ideological

·         Care will increasingly be focused around managing money rather than what the patient needs.

·         The BMA, Royal College of Nurses and Royal College of GPs are against the changes as they stand.

·         The doctor-patient relationship may become less trusting when money is involved.

·         Multidisciplinary care for patients with complex needs may be more difficult when lots of providers are involved, and continuity if fragmented.

·         Medical students currently have no training in management.

·         How medical training will fit into the changes has not been fully thought out.

·         Some unprofitable services, like A&E, care of the elderly and mental health may suffer if private companies out-compete the NHS and cause hospitals to close or be taken over.

·         The changes are too extreme and complex to be pushed through so quickly.

The following members of Newcastle Medical School ask you to please vote against the changes on October 12^th.

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