Excellent posting by David Higgerson: Why journalists should be worried about the NHS reforms/.
He reveals that NHS foundation trusts are operating in private (or, if you prefer, in secret).
One he mentions, Heartlands in the West Midlands, not only holds its monthly board meetings in private, it hasn't even published an agenda ahead of those meetings since the turn of the year.
He writes: "There are around 100 hospital trusts with foundation status, and according to evidence presented to a parliamentary health committee in 2009, around two-thirds hold their board meetings in private."
It follows a decision by the previous Labour government to remove any requirement for board meetings to be held in public.
Higgerson reminds us that the current prime minister, David Cameron, yesterday talked of the value of public accountability within the reformed NHS:
"The whole point of our changes, the whole reason why transparency and choice are so important, is so that patients can hold the health service to account and get the care they demand, where they want, when they want."
The problem may get worse because more foundation trusts are likely to be formed and could decide to exclude the press from their meetings.
Then there's the matter of the replacement of primary care trusts with GP consortia. PCT board meetings are open to the press, but Higgerson writes: "There is no guarantee that the consortia they are being replaced with will be obliged to meet in public."
He concludes: "For journalists, there's a very real danger that it could become harder than ever to report on how decisions are being made in the NHS – and that's something we need to shout about."
