More bad news for Alan Johnson. It really is starting to pile up for him - though that is what happens when you are Health Secretary. Sir Derek Wanless, an advisor who was one of the Brown's men who were behind increasing the NHS budget by £43bn over the past five years is about to break ranks and launch an attack on the failure of the scheme. The idea was that £43bn was supposed to deliver a first-class health system. Now, we all know that this is not exactly what we have got, but when it comes from an insider you know there really has been a failure of policy somewhere along the line! He puts the failure on poor productivity, IT delays and a worsening in the British lifestyle that is fuelling an obesity crisis. No a word about poor management there, though I guess the first two imply that... So what is the solution, dare I ask. Of course Sir Wanless has the answer...
Throw more money at it! Why on earth didn’t I think of that? What a brilliant idea - I mean, it hasn't worked as an idea as yet despite years of trying and countless billion of pounds, though this time it might just work. He warns that failure to correct these problems will leave the NHS requiring further huge injections of extra funding over the next 20 years. How about we take a different look at the NHS and stop pretending that all it needs is a bit of care and attention and all will be fine. The Health system is archaic and broken beyond repair. The time has come to stop wasting money and start addressing the issues sensibly without fear of being accused of being a nutter. After all, what is more mad: wasting £43bn of public money again on an idea we know has failed time and time again or start to look at things from a different angle?