Im going to say it, Lansley has been fair

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has had quite a ride with his Health and Social Care Bill. I think given that this is his baby, I believe Andrew Lansley has done a good job of listening and compromising. Hopefully this will result in better legisation and therefore better government.

At least with a coalition the details of disagreements are much more open then internal party disagreement (not that these don't still exist.)

I am of course a typical Lib Dem and I am fully signed up to the changes voted on at the Lib Dem conference (See the Social Liberal Forum details here.) But I also don't think us Lib Dems should drop any gloating or victory signs. At least until the election campaigning starts when all guns can start firing again. After all this is a coalition government and not a Tory or Lib Dem one. Its not a battle, its just a way of developing policy given our different outlooks on the world.

Isn't listening better than a u-turn?

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced yesterday that he is to delay the Health and Social Care Bill. Because of the concerned over it expressed by GP's and by Lib Dems at the conference and others. Some believe this is a a u-turn.

However this is what coalition government is all about, compromise and being forced to listen. This government is not run by a few at the top because it has to compromise with the rest of the MP's in two coalition parties and indeed the voting membership of the Liberal Democrats.

Surely a listening exercise is a good thing and I welcome it. I agree with Rosie Cooper Labour MP, who said 'It was time for the government to take a deep breath and have a re-think over its plans".

There is nothing wrong with that, it will in the end produce better policy. So I'm pleased that Andrew Lansley and the coalition is being brave enough to listen to the concerns of the many.

Amendments to NHS Health Bill

I fully support DR Evan Harris (former MP Oxford West and Abingdon) on the amendments put forward at the Liberal Democrat conference on the health bill. I watched Evan Harris give details of the amendments and his concerns which are supported by him and Baroness Shirley Williams at Februarys Liberal Democrat South Central regional conference.

The amendments which can be viewed at the social Liberal forum here. I support the cutting of the size of administration and removal of the huge hierarchy such as cutting out some of the levels such as PCT's, but some extra safe guards are required, these amendments would give them;

These amendments include;

• NHS commissioning to be retained as a public function and not given to private companies.

• Spending decisions should not be made in private.

• Annual plans to be done in conjunction with new health and wellbeing boards and GP commissioning boards.

• Private providers should be allowed where there could be an issue of cherry-picking.

• Continued separation of commissioning of services.

• Half the members of the new commissioning consortiums must be be up of local councillors.

Now we wait an see if this has any effect on the proposals or if the fears of my party appear to be toothless.

Doctor Phillip Lee MP does not agree with the NHS reforms

I recently met Dr Phillip Lee Bracknell MP at one of the bars in the houses of parliament. He told me that he does not fully support the coalition on the reform of the NHS using the proposed model for GP consortiums.

His concern is the size and split of services through the consortiums. Too smaller split could be less efficient. This is quite significant as he is the only (I believe) still practicing doctor who is also an MP.

Dr Phillip Lee while agreeing that most of the reforms are good and that changes are required (although he has some more ideas on this, which I won't explain here for fear of misunderstanding them).

He will of course vote with the government on these reforms because he feels he must represent his constituents who voted for conservative policy (although this type of reform was not in the Conservative manifesto).

I hope DR Phillip Lee MP is making clear his concerns to Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, as the experience of a practicing doctor and those MP's who were doctors could be invaluable on this subject.

With the NHS being the 3rd biggest employer in the world (Only the Chinese Army and the Indian State Railways employ more people) it is hard to imagine that it doesn't have an administration that is bigger than required.

Dr Phillip Lee spoke very honestly with me which I found very refreshing. I had a very interesting conversation with him about the MP expenses system and other details of his take on the policy within the coalition and what it is like becoming an MP.

I also read that Sarah Wollaston, the newly elected MP for Totnes in Devon who was a doctor before winning her seat has raised concerns about specific elements of the NHS bill while broadly supporting its overall aims but has been knocked back see the Guardian article here.