Streeting leaves behind heavy-handed health bill

Editor Sofia Lind questions former health secretary Wes Streeting’s motives – but especially timing – as the NHS faces heavy-handed reform

Where to start… The conference of UK LMCs in Belfast was overshadowed this week by the shock (?) resignation of health secretary Wes Streeting. We were then introduced to a new health secretary with whom we were honestly rather unfamiliar, in the form of James Murray.

This all happened just one day after the King’s Speech announcement of the new NHS ‘modernisation’ bill, which will be the legal vehicle for the controversial Single Patient Record – that will bring together primary care, secondary care and eventually adult social care records – as well as sweeping ICB reforms and the abolition of NHS England.

How long the new health secretary will be in post is anyone’s guess, what with Mr Streeting and fellow former health secretary Andy Burnham both seemingly plotting to overthrow Prime Minister Keir Starmer within a not-to-distant future.

Mr Streeting commented on Mr Murray’s appointment saying he was left with ‘a wonderful team‘ – but what he is mostly left with is a rolling ball which is the major NHS ‘neighbourhood’ reorganisation that is to be underpinned by the new health bill. And if the bill is anything to go by, he will need stamina to muscle through the changes.

Because muscling through appears to be what the Government thinks is going to be needed. The impact assessment on the single patient record (SPR) part of the bill doesn’t spell out, but indicates strongly that neither doctors nor patients will have much say about what happens to their data once legislation is in force. It will become an offence to flout it.

Mr Streeting said in his resignation letter that having lost confidence in the Prime Minister it would be dishonourable to stay in his post, but I was somewhat surprised he’d want to leave the Department of Health and Social Care before seeing his large-scale reorganisation through.

And many would also question whether it is honour that compelled him to do so, or political ambition. It will be up to the Labour Party membership to decide what they think of that, if he manages to become a PM candidate.

Meanwhile, the BMA has urged Mr Murray (that’s the new health secretary in case you’d gotten lost already) to put at the top of his to-do list to solve the ongoing dispute with almost every type of doctor, including GPs.

Perhaps – if there was any time to note it at all – the LMCs voting to explore a dentist NHS/private hybrid model at their conference in Belfast this week could move it up the in-tray – but I wouldn’t be surprised if the BMA doesn’t hear anything for a few days…

Sofia Lind is editor of Pulse. Find her at [email protected] or on LinkedIn 

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