Why reform the NHS? Productivity has risen, says health service expert

 
Yet more trouble for the health bill this morning, as government claims on flagging NHS productivity are undermined by a new study.

In a paper for medical journal The Lancet, Nick Black, a leading professor of health service research, challenged government analysis and said NHS productivity had “almost certainly risen” in the past decade.

Professor Black questions the “myth” that the health service became less productive as funding increased during the Blair-Brown years. It was a myth that emerged even before Labour left office, but one Andrew Lansley has been keen to capitalize on as he makes the case for substantial reorganization of the NHS.

"A review of a much wider range of data than was previously available suggests substantial improvements in the quality of health care", Professor Black argues.

So is Lansley’s bill in jeopardy? There have been plenty of signs of real peril. Last week, The Times reported the dismay of a Downing Street source: “Andrew Lansley should be taken out and shot. He’s messed up both the communication and the substance of the policy.”

The Financial Times recently described the bill as “a mess” that should now be dropped. Even the influential ConservativeHome website has questioned the timing of the push for reform and whether it has the support of the civil service.

It would now seem to require superhuman effort to convince either NHS staff or the wider public that a big shake-up is necessary. If the coalition insists on pushing through such an unpopular idea, it surely has the potential to “retoxify” the Tory brand.