Latest news with #reform
BBC News
an hour ago
- Health
- BBC News
Hundreds of NHS quangos to be scrapped in 10-year health strategy
Hundreds of bodies responsible for overseeing and running parts of the NHS in England will be scrapped, the government has organisations to be abolished include Healthwatch England, which advocates on behalf of patients, and the National Guardian's Office, which supports Secretary Wes Streeting said the current system was too complex and the NHS needed "more doers and fewer checkers".The changes are being made as part of Labour's 10-year health strategy set to be published next week. Ten year NHS plan In total 201 organisations will be scrapped, including bodies set up by the last Conservative government to develop health plans for their local organisations to be abolished include:Healthwatch England, set up in 2012 to speak out on behalf of NHS and social care patients, and to advise ministers when services were not up to National Guardian's Office, created in 2015 to encourage the NHS to support whistleblowers and train a network of 1,200 peer support 'guardians'.The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB), which has recently carried out investigations into a range of subjects including the design of portable oxygen systems and the impact of ambulance decision comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in March that NHS England, the administrative body responsible for the day-to-day management of the health service, would be axed and the system brought under closer government control. Ministers said there were more than 150 bodies responsible for regulating or assessing healthcare services in England, and they risked overwhelming staff with "uncoordinated" guidance."Over the past decade and a half, an overly complex system of healthcare regulation and oversight has been left to spiral out of control," said Mr Streeting."So many of the problems in the NHS come down to a failure to listen to patients. The changes we are making will hold a megaphone up to patients' lips, and force the service to listen to their feedback."In the future, patients will be encouraged to make greater use of the NHS smartphone app to leave personal feedback on the care they receive. Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents providers of health services, said any opportunity to reduce duplication and invest money into frontline care should be welcomed."However, NHS leaders would encourage the government to not forget the failings that led to these bodies being set up in the first place and tread carefully so as to ensure their vital missions continue in future," he added."Staff and patients will still need safe spaces where they can speak up." Pay by ratings Under the new strategy, the NHS will also trial a scheme linking the money a hospital receives directly to the quality of care it will be asked to review their treatment and, if a low rating is given, a proportion of that funding could be diverted to a regionally-held NHS improvement fund rather than paid to the hospital government said the scheme would only be introduced where there had been a track record of very poor service and evidence that patients were not being listened NHS Confederation warned it would have to be carefully designed to stop hospitals being penalised for issues beyond their immediate control such as difficulties recruiting staff and the poor state of some hospital buildings. Patients seen as 'inconvenience' Days before the release of the government's 10-year health plan, the new head of NHS England has said too many "fossilised" ways of working have been retained by the health his first interview since his appointment as chief executive of NHSE, Sir Jim Mackey told the Daily Telegraph the NHS had built "mechanisms to keep the public away"."We've made it really hard, and we've probably all been on the end of it."You've got a relative in hospital, so you're ringing a number on a ward that no-one ever answers."The ward clerk only works nine to five or they're busy doing other stuff; the GP practice scramble every morning."It feels like we've built mechanisms to keep the public away because it's an inconvenience," he added.
CBS News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Public safety reform forum engages Detroit residents
As Detroit organizations that are dedicated to providing support and resources to combat violence brace for budget cuts, public safety leaders and advocates band together to spark change and reform. "These are my people. These are my neighbors. These are my children. These are my elders. These are my brothers and sisters," said community activist Teferi Brent. On Friday, dozens of people packed into Fellowship Chapel in Detroit to kick off Freedom Weekend 2025. "We can't sit on our couch and sit back and say we have an issue with violence in our community, but we're not willing to do something about it to make our community safe," said Brent. The citywide initiative encourages people to approach and begin difficult conversations around impactful topics, including justice, reform, and community-based safety solutions. "It's a holistic approach, and it's been working. It's been proven to be effective," said Negus Vu, president and CEO of The People's Action. Organizers say their goal is to highlight the work being done throughout the metro area and inspire the next generation of leadership. "We have a responsibility to serve and to protect rights and to provide resources for our community so that we can live in peaceful, prosperous communities. I mean, this is what our people deserve," said Brent. One organization seeing a big boost is The People's Action, which recently received a nearly $400,000 grant from Michigan State Police that will fund an intensive 20-week program designed to provide wraparound services in the community and offer alternatives to incarceration. "We understand that it's imperative to save as many lives as possible in the city of Detroit, but we cannot afford to lose any lives," said Vu. Organizers say events like these highlight the need for those who are already doing this work to continue moving it forward. "Either you are part of the problem, or you are part of solving the problem," said Brent. Leaders behind the weekend say these gatherings give them the boost they need to grow their programs and help as many people as they can for as long as possible.
Sky News
14 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News
Welfare concessions 'common sense', says PM - as he defends U-turn
Sir Keir Starmer said changes to his welfare bill "strike the right balance" after making concessions to his backbench MPs. The prime minister described the U-turn as "common sense" and said it means "we can now get on with the job". Sir Keir faced a significant rebellion over plans to cut sickness and disability benefits as part of a package he said would shave £5bn off the welfare bill and get more people into work. Speaking to reporters on Friday, he stood by his position that the welfare system needs reform as "it doesn't work, and it traps people". He added: "We need to get it right. That's why we've been talking to colleagues and having a constructive discussion. "We've now arrived at a package that delivers on the principles with some adjustments, and that's the right reform, and I'm really pleased now that we're able to take this forward. "For me, getting that package adjusted in that way is the right thing to do, it means it's the right balance, it's common sense that we can now get on with it." The concessions include exempting existing Personal Independence Payment claimants (PIP) from the stricter new criteria, while the universal credit health top-up will only be cut and frozen for new applications. 5:45 More money will also be front-loaded into helping people find jobs, though it is not clear how much beyond the £1bn already announced. The changes came after 127 Labour MPs signed an amendment calling for the cuts to be delayed and consulted on with disabled people. Rebels feared the reforms wouldn't actually help people find work while pushing thousands of disabled people and children into poverty, as per the government's own impact assessment. The discontent threatened to derail the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill when it comes before the Commons for a vote on Tuesday, on the week that marks a year of Starmer in government. Asked what he would do about a "hole" in the public finances that the changes are said to leave, Sir Keir said the funding will be set out in the autumn budget "in the usual way". The concessions on PIP alone will protect an estimated 370,000 people currently receiving the allowance who were set to lose out following reassessment. Economists at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Resolution Foundation have both suggested that the changes could reduce savings intended in the original package by up to £3bn. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is also under pressure to find money to pay for the U-turn on cuts to winter fuel, which followed a drubbing at the local elections in May. Asked about the series of U-turns, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall earlier said: "Sometimes there's strength in listening. "I really believe that to be the case, that you end up in the right position when you talk to all of those with knowledge and experience and actually, if you want decisions to be the right ones and to last for generations to come, I believe that's how you make the right changes." However, she would not guarantee the bill will pass next week. Some 83 Labour MPs would need to rebel for the government to be defeated. 0:43 Last night Dame Meg Hillier, one of the leading rebel voices, hailed the concessions as "massive changes" to protect vulnerable people and involve disabled people in the design of future reforms. However, not all the rebels have been satisfied with the changes, with several suggesting they would create a "two-tier system". Sky News is aware of at least 20 MPs who currently intend to still vote against. Many others are undecided. The concessions came after Downing Street publicly stuck to its guns while engaging in a frantic ring-around to get rebels onside, which further angered MPs. Many have called for a reset in relations with Downing Street, as the fallout from the rebellion threatens to cause lasting damage. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the U-turn, saying the government's failure to make "minor savings" on welfare showed they were unable to deal with major issues.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Third U-turn in a month leaves Keir Starmer diminished
After his third U-turn this month, Keir Starmer will hope he has done enough to avoid a humiliating first Commons defeat as prime minister on Tuesday, even if he is now a diminished figure in front of his party and the country. Over Wednesday night and Thursday, Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and his deputy, Angela Rayner, sat down with leading rebels and agreed a series of changes to the government's welfare bill that ministers hope will be enough to get it over the line. Those changes are likely to be significant enough to win over the support of dozens of moderates who had signed an amendment that would have put the bill on hold indefinitely. But they have damaged the prime minister's reputation for embracing tough reforms, and his chancellor's reputation for fiscal probity. Stephen Kinnock, the health minister, said on Friday: 'Keir Starmer is a prime minister who doesn't put change and reform into the too-difficult box. He actually runs towards it and says: 'Right, how do we fix it?' And I'm sure that that's what will be foremost in people's minds on Tuesday.' Meg Hillier, one of the leading rebels, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We're going to see some of the fine detail of this on Monday. We're expecting a written ministerial statement from the government, so we will get more detail then. But I think, in my view, we got as much as we can get in the time frame involved.' But others have spotted weakness. Helen Whately, the Conservative spokesperson on work and pensions, said: 'This is another humiliating U-turn forced upon Keir Starmer … The latest 'deal' with Labour rebels sounds a lot like a two-tier benefits system, more likely to encourage anyone already on benefits to stay there rather than get into work.' For the prime minister, this is the third time he has reversed course in recent weeks in the face of pressure from outside. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Earlier this month his chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced she was undoing most of the cuts to winter fuel payments after a sustained political backlash. Just over a week ago, the prime minister told reporters on the way to the G7 in Canada he was dropping his opposition to a national inquiry into grooming gangs after one was recommended by Louise Casey. This week's decision to change key parts of the welfare bill could prove the most expensive of all three. Ministers will now limit their cuts so they only apply to new claimants and have also promised to lift the health element of universal credit in line with inflation. Along with promises to increase spending on back-to-work schemes and to redesign the entire system of Personal Independence Payments (Pips), the Resolution Foundation estimates the entire U-turn could end up costing £3bn. Reeves will set out the full costs of the package, and how she intends to pay for them, at the budget in the autumn. Asked about the cost of the U-turn on Friday, Kinnock would only say: 'Matters of the budget are for the chancellor, and she will be bringing forward a budget in the autumn.' But it is not just the cost of the immediate changes that Reeves will have to measure. Now she and the prime minister have developed a reputation for changing course in the face of backbench resistance, the chancellor is likely to come under heavy pressure over other issues Labour MPs care deeply about. Hillier said on Friday the prime minister would now have to listen more carefully to his parliamentary colleagues. 'There is huge talent, experience and knowledge in parliament, and it's important it's better listened to. And I think that message has landed.' Top of many Labour MPs' wishlist is an end to the two-child benefit cap. Starmer agrees on the importance of removing that cap altogether, but doing so would cost as much as £3.6bn a year by the end of the parliament. This is why, as the government's spending commitments grow, ministers are refusing to rule out tax rises this autumn. As Starmer has found out this week, angering nearly a third of your MPs is a costly business.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
English rugby braces for pivotal vote that will decide its future
On Saturday, the British and Irish Lions make their bow on Australian soil while England settle in Buenos Aires ahead of a Test series against Argentina that begins the following weekend. But back in Birmingham, away from the spotlight, is a potentially pivotal day for the future of rugby union in this country. There, at the Rugby Football Union's annual general meeting, members will vote on a set of proposals designed to address the unrest that resulted in a special general meeting three months ago. Bill Sweeney, the chief executive, survived a vote of no-confidence in March, but the same summit delivered a strong mandate to expedite governance reform. The Whole Game Union, a body spearheaded by Alistair Bow, from Nottingham RFC, and Paddy McAlpine, of Chichester RFC, has tabled 11 resolutions in an effort to secure meaningful change and requires 66 per cent approval for them to be passed. What changes are being proposed? The resolutions include a desire for the council to be able to approve the union's annual strategic plan, as well as its budget and business plan. The thorny issue of directors' pay, which sparked outrage across the game, would be addressed with the implementation of a published 'people and pay policy', which members could comment on and influence. As a whole, the Whole Game Union's mission statement is to 'put members back at the heart of major decisions' and 'restore strategic control' to an elected council. A letter to members, seen by Telegraph Sport, lists six reasons why reform has become essential, including the removal of development officers on the ground and reduced investment, in real terms, into the community game. What does it mean for the grass-roots game? At the heart of this campaign is the belief that the RFU executive and board have neglected amateur clubs in favour of a focus on the elite game. It is felt, for example, that £33 million per year was committed to Premiership clubs 'without meaningful consultation with members'. Jeff Blackett, who served as RFU president between 2020 and 2022, has been an adviser to the Whole Game Union and backs the proposals. 'The difficultly is that the game has been struggling to become professional since 1995 and the governance structure has not really caught up to where we are today,' he said this week. 'The professional game and the grass-roots game are two different beasts and it is very difficult to have one organisation in charge of all of it. Our concern is that the senior executive and the board have only concentrated on the elite game. The community game is dying on its feet, unfortunately; numbers are down, clubs are down and fixtures aren't fulfilled. 'It's a watershed moment and these proposals are meant to redress the balance, to put some of the power back into the council, acknowledging that the council has to be reformed itself to be more accountable to its membership, so that the big decisions can be scrutinised properly.' How could it affect the RFU council? The RFU council has been branded as bloated and archaic, with Blackett describing the 2016 Sport England governance code as a 'final nail in the coffin' that reduced its power. An independent review recently labelled it as 'dysfunctional' and advised that it should be scrapped entirely. However, the Whole Game Union argues that this consultation document 'lacks transparency and ambition' and would only create a system 'where members will have less ability to scrutinise the executive and the board'. 'One of the criticisms of the council is that too many of its members are people who have done great jobs for CBs [constituent boards] and are effectively given a reward of going up to Twickenham and having nice seats to enjoy their latter years in rugby,' Blackett added. 'There are people like that, but there are also many good people. The Whole Game Union would have council more accountable to the game. One of the resolutions is for the nominations committee to write a report on each council member that will go back to their constituents. They also want to make the council smaller, because it's difficult to have meaningful debate with 60-odd people in a room, and make it so members feel an attachment to those council members. 'What we're trying to do is to restore democracy. The friction comes because it is also a multimillion-pound business and the board also has to have the ability to run that. We've got to get the balance right.' Could this impact rugby's funding? The Whole Game Union has also addressed the RFU board's criticisms of the resolutions. It disputes, for instance, that reform would cause Sport England to remove funding from the RFU and decline to support the hosting of international tournaments such as World Cups. Blackett suggested that the image of the Whole Game Union as disruptive upstarts is grossly unfair. 'The RFU position is that they're a bunch of rebels and malcontents,' he said. 'They're not. They are people with a genuine interest in making rugby a great sport again and none of them are in it for personal gain.' His endgame would be for the RFU board to oversee both the professional and grass-roots game: 'The way I see it is that the board would delegate a good chunk of money to both and effectively urge them to manage it in accordance with business plans they have put forward. 'I do think it's important that the whole game stays together. And the professional game is the Premiership and the Championship. I think there has been real, valid criticism that the Championship has not been properly supported by the RFU and that needs to be put right as well.' Voting has been open for a fortnight or so, meaning many members will have made up their minds. Blackett would urge any stragglers to give themselves an opportunity to lend their voice to a critical debate. 'The RFU is a members cooperative and every member should have a voice on major issues,' he said. 'The trouble in the past with AGMs is that fewer and fewer people have turned up and things go through without proper scrutiny. 'It's absolutely vital that members look at the merits of this and vote. And, of course, I would urge them to vote for the resolutions that will ensure the future of our game.'
