Echo - Shake-up running of NHS service

Shake-up running of NHS service
By David Harrison
Councillor and leader of the New Forest Liberal Democrats
I AM an employee of the National Health Service and a member of the health overview and scrutiny committee of Hampshire County Council. In both roles, I am concerned with the manner in which health services are delivered to local people.
The performance record of different parts of the NHS is a bit mixed, to say the least.
Currently, the South Central Strategic Health Authority has got itself in a real bind, spending large sums of our money on a public consultation on adding fluoride to tap water and now set to spend more money on a legal battle, trying to justify doing the complete opposite of what people want.
The South Central Ambulance Service is coming under intensive criticism following disappointing results in trying to meet targets and some very well-publicised occasions when people haven't been transported swiftly to hospital as they should have been.
Costly
The maternity unit at Ashurst in the New Forest has opened but only after it cost vastly more than originally planned. In another part of Hampshire a maternity ward has been closed due to staff shortages. There hasn't been a minor injury unit in Hythe for some years now, due to alleged problems recruiting staff.
No doubt people will remember the problems associated with attempts to close local community hospitals, like The Fenwick, at Lyndhurst. Even now, facilities for people suffering a crisis in their mental health are under threat with attempts by Hampshire Partnership Foundation Trust to reduce costs.
I have nothing but admiration for almost everyone who works for the NHS. For the most part, they are not highly paid and very few qualify for bonus payments or second-home allowances. However, I think a radical shake-up of the way the NHS is run is needed. I favour making locally elected health boards responsible for running things. The Government could save millions of pounds by abolishing the various quangos that have quite clearly failed to deliver what people want.
It might mean making some councillors full-time members but that is a fair trade off and if you don't think they are doing a very good job, at least you can get rid of them at election time.