The recently announced Government spending plans will test the NHS and social services in England to the limit, a report by the Commons Health Select Committee syas and brother dont we all know it !!!.
The MPs state that the plans assume efficiency savings on a scale never before seen in social health or NHS fields of operation .
The Mp's are calling for the Department of Health to deliver a "credible plan" on where the efficiency gains will be made.
NHS CEO Sir David Nicholson has estimated the health service needs to make efficiency savings worth between £15bn and £20bn over the next four years.
The chairman of the Health Select Committee, former Conservative health secretary Stephen Dorrell, said that target will test both the NHS and social services to the limit.
"There is no precedent for efficiency gains on this scale in the history of the NHS, nor has any precedent yet been found of any healthcare system anywhere in the world doing anything similar," Mr Dorrell said.
The committee also looked at adult social services because of significant cross-over between care services and the NHS.
The reorganisation of the NHS will cost around £1.7bn, but the committee is not so sure.
Efficiency savings
"It is unfortunate that the government has not yet provided even a broad estimate of the likely reorganisation costs; and it is unhelpful for the government to continue to cite the £1.7 billion figure, as it does not relate to their specific proposals," the report says.
A Department of Health spokesman said the government was committed to sustaining and improving services in the face of a tough economic climate, but efficiency savings were needed.
"Reform isn't an option, it's a necessity in order to sustain and improve our NHS.
"We have been clear that the NHS must cut back on bureaucracy, not on front-line care."
The spokesman said additional funding for social care worth £2bn would be available by 2015.
"This additional investment will make it possible to protect people's access to care, without tightening eligibility.
"Councils and NHS partners will need to work harder to improve efficiency and achieve improved value for money."
Nigel Edwards, acting chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents 95% of organisations that make up the NHS, said the committee had got it exactly right.
The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services also warned that some tough years lie ahead.
Association president Richard Jones said a gap will open up between the needs and demands of older people and adults with disabilities, and the resources available to meet them. ?
All this is very worrying , are we heading for a melt down in the field of health and social welfare in England
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