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Reid Gives Old Target Culture A Fresh Coat Of Paint
July 21, 2004 12:00 AM
The Liberal Democrats today accused John Reid of giving the old target culture of the NHS a fresh coat of paint as he announced new targets and a reduction of others.
Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, said:
"John Reid is trying to have his cake and eat it. On the one hand he is pretending to stop the barrage of targets, while he is still publishing new ones. This is giving the old target culture a fresh coat of paint.
"There may be only 20 new targets announced today but they will cascade down into more targets on the frontline. These political targets become the most important priority for NHS staff and they distort clinical priorities, stopping doctors from treating the sickest quickest.
"The target on MRSA is nonsense. By focusing purely on MRSA, the target misses out on about half of all the infections that patients pick up in hospital.
"Ministers are still obsessed with keeping control and tying the hands of doctors and nurses preventing them from getting on with the job of treating patients. The way to improve the NHS is to free it from central Government. Hospitals and community health services need the freedom to innovate and develop services to meet the needs of local people."
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