MP committee: NHS restructuring poses risks

The government's planned restructuring of the NHS will pose a number of risks from financial and care quality perspectives, according to a report by MPs.

Analysis from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has suggested that the savings-oriented reorganisations set to be introduced by the Health and Social Care Bill could serve to distract those responsible for patient health.

It also stated that the goal of saving money for reinvestment could be made harder to achieve, should it turn out that the Department of Health has underestimated the one-off costs of the restructuring.

Responding to the report, Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the council at the British Medical Association, welcomed the committee's conclusions regarding the risks of making such changes during an economic downturn.

Dr Meldrum noted that the implications of a "market failure" in healthcare are likely to be more serious than in other sectors.

He added: "We share the concerns of the PAC that the consequences of increasing competition in the NHS have not been fully addressed."