White Paper 'Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS'
Comment from the Medical Women’s Federation
We were delighted when Newsnight
contacted MWF on the day the White Paper was published, and our president,
Dr Clarissa Fabre appeared on the panel that evening.The White Paper outlines
enormous changes to the way the NHS is organised, with the abolition of PCTs
and Strategic Health Authorities, and GP consortia in charge of commissioning
of services. The threat from the private sector is very real, and it will
be essential for GPs, consultants, academics, Public Health and patients to
work together from the outset.Women doctors, who will soon make up the majority
of the workforce, will have to get involved, in leadership and other roles
- it will not be an option to sit on the sidelines.
MWF also represent medical students and one aspect of the white paper concerns
the commissioning of medical education for our students. How will medical
training (undergraduate and postgraduate) will be financed as well as the
infrastructure required? Will there be enough men and women at senior levels
to deliver it? We are also facing reductions in research and the budget for
this e.g. clinical trials. For the UK economy this is a financial gain that
is rapidly disappearing, so aspects of commissioning relevant to clinical
research for patients - including women patients - need to be stressed.
