Government treating NHS like failing bank, says Lancet
The NHS is on a path to becoming a "market commodity" with the coalition treating it more like a failing bank than a public service, one of Britain's most influential medical journals has said.
An editorial in the Lancet criticised the government for expecting NHS hospitals to be financially successful and deeming them failing enterprises if they did not meet targets on efficiency and cost-saving.
In particular the journal took issue with a Tory minister's suggestion that NHS managers should take inspiration from the television show Bargain Hunt when procuring medical supplies.
"Reading headlines last week, such as 'Struggling A&E units to get £500m bailout' and 'NHS managers to get price comparison website', one might be forgiven for thinking that the current coalition government views the NHS as a failing bank or business," it said.
full: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/16/government-nhs-failing-bank-lancet
