The 'precious principle' of NHS is under threat

David Cameron has warned the NHS' ‘precious principle' of care for all, free at the point of use, is under threat. The Prime Minister claimed Monday the founding cornerstone of National Health Service (NHS) would be eroded unless the government pushed ahead plans to put GPs in charge of commissioning care. Putting his reputation on the line, he made five pledges to preserve what matters most to the public in an address to NHS staff in central London. Cameron is due to unveil changes to the coalition's health plans next week after halting the passage of legislation to consult doctors. But he continued to insist a radical overhaul was needed to prevent the NHS going bust in the future. "We have to change the NHS to avoid a crisis tomorrow too," he said warning that failure to act would lead to "the NHS buckling under the pressure of an ageing population and the rising cost of treatments". In his starkest warning yet about the consequences of inaction, he said: "The principle we all hold dear, and we all want to keep, of free health care for all who need it, when they need it that precious principle [is] coming under threat." Cameron will say there needs to be an overhaul of the way the NHS works because "we're wasting too much money on empty bureaucracy when it could be spent on the frontline". As he pushes through reforms, he insisted he would stick to five principles. He said: "We will not endanger universal coverage we will make sure it remains a ‘national' Health Service. We will not break up or hinder efficient and integrated care we will improve it. We will not lose control of waiting times we will ensure they are kept low. We will not cut spending on the NHS we will increase it." He concluded: "If you're worried that we are going to sell-off the NHS and create some American-style private system we will not." Cameron will have his work cut out to win over patients, with a poll yesterday showing most voters believe the Tories want to privatise the NHS. PoliticsHome found seven out of 10 voters agree with Cameron that "the way in which the NHS spends its money needed to be reformed" but the same proportion said the reforms had been "rushed". A total of 59 per cent of voters agree that "deep down, the Conservatives want to fully privatise the NHS", while 45 per cent think any reforms made by the Tories are designed to "help business, not patients". From / Gulf News