Nurses in ‘no confidence’ vote over Lansley’s NHS reforms

Delegates at the Royal College of Nursing conference in Liverpool voted 99% in favour of the motion, to 1% against.

Angry delegates said Andrew Lansley’s plans would ruin the NHS and lead to worse patient care.

Mr Lansley has been heavily criticised for refusing to deliver a speech to the conference.

Instead, he will meet a group of around 60 nurses in Liverpool as part of the Government’s “listening exercise” on the controversial reforms.

The Government has said it will use a “pause” in the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill to listen to concerns about the plans.

Other unions, including the British Medical Association, have condemned parts of the Bill, as have patient groups, royal colleges and MPs from various political parties.

Never before has the RCN voted on a motion of no confidence in a Health Secretary.

There were 478 votes in favour, six against and 13 abstentions.

Nurse Geoff Earl told delegates it was a “very, very serious issue.

“Mr Lansley says he wants to hear from us - well go out on to the wards, go out into the community and listen to what our colleagues are saying.

“This is being driven by ideological dogma, not what is best for our patients.”

Bethann Siviter, from Birmingham, said she did not have confidence in GP commissioning - one of the central planks of the reforms.

She said: “They mismanaged the flu jabs - how are they going to manage the NHS?”

She added that if the reforms went ahead “the NHS is dying”.

Jason Warriner said: “Over the last few years we have had Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron commit to high standards of nursing care and the NHS.

“This (Bill) does nothing to reflect nursing, the NHS or to benefit our patients.”

Roger Milligan said he had been a nurse for 30 years but the reforms worried him more than any previous changes.

After the vote, Mr Lansley said: “The nurses’ union support the principles of the Bill.

“But I know from listening to them that they want further nurse involvement in decisions. So do I.

“And I understand their concerns. We are listening to nurses and will make improvements.

“There isn’t an option to do nothing if we want to sustain the NHS for future generations.

“Any Government would be faced with the same challenges, only it would have been far worse under Labour because they wanted to cut the NHS budget, whereas we are investing an extra £11.5 billion into the service.”

Nurse Debbie Simmonds said the coalition Government was “ideologically driven”.

She added: “It seeks a market solution to its financial difficulties.

“Caring for the sick and vulnerable in society will never make a profit.”

Andrew Frazer, from the Emergency Care Association, said nurses decided to adopt a wait-and-see policy last year when Mr Lansley addressed the conference.

“We’ve waited and we’ve seen - and I, for one, don’t like what I’ve seen.

“We’ve been trimming services to the bone for years, trying our damnedest to deliver excellent care with decreasing resources.

“Here’s a bottom line for Mr Lansley that hopefully he can understand - if you cut frontline services and nursing numbers, care in the short term may be a little cheaper but care will be poorer and people will die.”

Pat Leung, from London, said her father died a few weeks ago and she feared for the future of NHS care, including for her mother.

There had been worries that a bed may not be available for her father when he was admitted to hospital.

“I think these reforms significantly hurt older people, which is the group I work with,” she said.

Tom Bolger, from Suffolk, said Mr Lansley was “driving through ideological changes designed to cause an implosion of the NHS and allow profit-driven private providers to move in and make a killing”.

He said he had no confidence in Mr Clegg, Mr Cameron or Mr Lansley.

“The only killing they’re going to make is with the elderly, the mentally ill, the homeless and the disadvantaged in society.”

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the RCN, said after the vote that it reflected the “passionate and honestly held concerns” of many members about how the reforms could destabilise the NHS.

“It is vital the Government now listens and engages with the RCN and our members.”

Shadow health secretary John Healey, said: “Nurses have confirmed today that the Health Secretary has lost the confidence of the NHS.

“But the real test now is for the Prime Minister on whether he will make the root and branch changes needed to his reorganisation plans for the health service.”

Unite’s health committee joined the RCN in passing a no confidence motion in Mr Lansley and the Health and Social Care Bill.

The union, which represents GPs, mental health nurses, pharmacists and non-clinical staff, accused the Government of “ruining” the health service.

National officer Rachael Maskell said: “Health professionals do not have confidence that Andrew Lansley understands that he is on the verge of destroying our health service, and they do not have confidence that David Cameron or Nick Clegg understand this either.

“It is not just this Bill, which puts a 60-year service for all on the fast track to privatisation, that is so disturbing. There are also £20 billion of cuts being shoved through now which are wrecking the service. Clinical staff are losing their jobs, waiting times are growing and A&E departments - the most front line of services - are struggling.

“We are proud to lend our weight to the RCN’s vote. It is the duty to now stand up and be counted in defence of our health service because this Government is ruining it.”