Health trusts 'need greater political freedom'
IPPR wants PCTs to have elected local boards
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Thursday, 13, Sep 2007 08:27
Primary care trusts (PCT) should be given greater political freedom and be made more accountable in a local health setting, a report has concluded today.
Published by the IPPR thinktank, the study calls on health secretary Alan Johnson to give PCTs foundation trust status.
This status would enable them to elect a board of governors made up of the public, clinical staff and patients.
By involving the public the IPPR believes the NHS will remain sustainable while becoming more transparent and democratic at a local level.
The report also argues that PCTs should be given greater financial autonomy and more flexibility from national government in setting priorities.
There are 152 PCTs in England which are monitored by ten strategic health authorities.
But foundation trusts are monitored by an independent regulator and are inspected by the Healthcare Commission.
Commenting on the study, Jessica Allen, IPPR senior research fellow and report author, said: "Foundation hospitals have played a significant role in giving people a greater say in how their hospitals are run and the ability to set their own priorities, independent from Whitehall.
"Extending this opportunity to PCTs would help improve transparency and accountable across the health system and make the NHS more sustainable."
The Liberal Democrats have welcomed the report, saying that the NHS is "painfully unaccountable to the people it serves" due to decisions being made centrally in Whitehall.
"When maternity units are relocated or community hospitals closed then all people can do to complain is write a letter to the health secretary. Every week there are protests up and down the country, as local people are being ignored," said Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb.
"The status quo is damaging the health service, as it is unable to reflect local needs and it is very disturbing for people who are desperate to keep their maternity units or community hospitals open.
"We must have a truly local NHS - accountable to people and accessible to all," Mr Lamb added.
Commenting on the IPPR report, David Stout, director of the NHS Confederation PCT Network which represents the majority of PCTs, said he welcomes the suggestion that PCTs should be given greater freedoms.
"The NHS Confederation PCT Network is currently engaged in a broad programme of work with the Department of Health to develop greater autonomy for PCTs, linked to the development of their skills and capabilities," he added.
"We will be working with PCTs and the Department of Health to enable PCTs to exercise a greater degree of independence, in order to deliver local services of the highest quality."
The Department of Health is preparing a response to the report.