Milburn shortlists 50 hospitals for foundation status

pharmafile | October 27, 2003 | News story | |   

Health Secretary Alan Milburn has shortlisted 50 hospitals he believes are ready to take on foundation status before the next election.

This is four times the number originally proposed, and could re-ignite hostilities between Milburn and Chancellor Gordon Brown, who fears uncontrolled foundation trust spending could wreck his public spending programme.

The Treasury is also concerned foundation hospitals will create a two-tier public health service, despite Department of Health reassurances that greater autonomy for top performers will produce rapid improvements.

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Decentralisation is firmly on the DoH agenda with Mr Milburn believing that most NHS hospitals could eventually make the transition to foundation status.

The issue continues to highlight divisions between the two departments and could see their feuding resurface.

These simmering disagreements are currently being overshadowed by Government involvement with the current Iraq crisis but could resurface once the final details of proposed legislation are released next month.

The issue of foundation hospitals has already deeply divided Parliament. More than 100 MPs, most of them Labour, have signed a parliamentary petition warning that the service would create a two-tier NHS.

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