Clegg fights NHS competition body

2011-05-18 11:12:30

18 May 2011 Last updated at 14:25 Share this page Delicious Digg Facebook reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Email Print Nick Clegg to oppose NHS competition regulator Nick Clegg's stance on the NHS watchdog places him in direct opposition to the health secretary Continue reading the main story NHS shake-up Q&A: The NHS shake-up At-a-glance: What has changed What next for the NHS changes? Health reforms - where they stand

Nick Clegg will oppose the idea of a regulator promoting competition in the health service in England, a key part of planned NHS reforms.

It places the deputy PM in opposition to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley who wants more competition to cut prices.

Mr Clegg also criticised David Cameron for declaring his love for the NHS while taking advice from people talking up the potential for private profits.

Labour said Mr Clegg was only interested in saving his party.

BBC deputy political editor James Landale said Mr Clegg's intervention, in a meeting with Lib Dem MPs and peers, marked an escalation in negotiations with his Conservative partners over the Health and Social Care Bill which is currently on hold.

It will also be seen as a rebuff to the prime minister who used his speech on Monday to try to assert his political authority and ownership over the changes being made to the bill.

Addressing Lib Dem MPs and peers on Tuesday night, Mr Clegg agreed that Monitor should have a duty to push NHS collaboration rather than competition.

'No mercy'

He has signed off a policy document, obtained by the BBC, which states that Monitor should not be established as an "economic regulator" and should instead promote and protect the interests of the patient.

Continue reading the main story WHAT IS MONITOR? Independent regulator which scrutinises hospital finances in England Set up in 2004 to regulate NHS foundation trusts Chaired by Dr David Bennett - a former adviser to Tony Blair Under health plans it would get a new role as an economic regulator This would include a duty to promote competition between healthcare providers NHS changes: Points of contention

Mr Clegg told party colleagues: "People get confused when one day they hear politicians declare how much they love the NHS and the next they hear people describing themselves as government advisers saying that reform is a huge opportunity for big profits for health care corporations."

This was a reference to the prime minister's speech in which he said it was his love for the NHS that drove him to change it, and a former NHS official now working for accountants KPMG, Mark Britnell, who is part of a group of people advising the government on NHS reforms.

Mr Britnell was quoted as saying last October that the government's health reforms would be "a big opportunity" for private health firms who would show "no mercy" to the NHS.

But Mr Clegg hit back, telling his colleagues he would "never let the profit motive get in the way of the essential purposes of the NHS".

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Health secretary Andrew Lansley: Competition is a means to an end

"It's only since his party's disastrous showing at the local elections that Mr Clegg has started back-peddling."

Following poor results in this month's devolved elections and local elections in England, Mr Clegg promised more "muscular liberalism" and to make the Lib Dem influence on the government "more visible".

Backbench Conservative MP Peter Bone said Mr Clegg had signed off the reforms and voted for them: "Why now is he changing his mind and what's happened to collective responsibility?

"If it was a Tory minister that was opposing government policy in such a way he would undoubtedly have been fired."

He added: "If our health service is being held back for party political reasons to shore up Nick Clegg's leadership of the Liberal party then that's an absolute disgrace."

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