NHS - a 'reform' too far?

The coalition seems determined to press ahead with major disruption to the NHS despite criticism of the reforms from numerous healthcare experts including bodies such as the Royal College of General Practitioners. The reforms will see GPs and private healthcare firms competing for patients with GPs being responsible for buying in care for their patients.

GPs will have to become managers as well as doctors. Business interests will ultimately be competing with the provision of the best possible patient care.

This reform will result in the biggest reorganisation of the health service during its 60 years of existence – while at the same time £20 billion is being cut from the health budget. The new legislation is a charter for disintegration of public health provision, mismanagement of vital patient care and is open to exploitation by unscrupulous private firms. Labour’s insistence on PFIs for public services has been shown to be bad for the public purse and services. This reform which is based, not on clear evidence but on selective statistics, will follow the same pattern.

The third reading of the Bill takes place after Easter.

The Mysterious Benefactor

Last Sunday (6th March) the St Piran Trust produced the St Piran play. If you have read previous blog posts you will know that the Trust needed a benefactor to come forward and donate some daffodils in order to keep a tradition alive.

Fifteen minutes before the play started a gentleman came out of the crowd with four boxes of bunched daffodils and the play began with people carrying their daffodils to the Norman church.

The thing is, the St Piran Trust are unaware of who this very kind person was. The Trust would like to thank him and let him know how much they value his wonderful and warm-hearted gesture.

If the anonymous benefactor could make himself known then the St Piran Trust would like to thank him properly.

It is generosity like this that shows that there is no need for Mr Cameron to try to take advantage of people's goodwill and call it a 'Big Society'. The caring society is alive and well in Cornwall.

St Piran Play

Today the St Piran play was performed accross the sand dunes at Perranporth. There were hundreds of people there to see the story of St Piran unfold at various places of special significance to the life and history of St Piran.

This year the St Piran Trust had taken over the production of the play and it looks like the tradition is in good hands. As well as the scenes that we have come to enjoy each year there were new surprises and added touches designed to enhance the atmosphere and overall effect of the production.

St Piran's Oratory is currently buried under tons of sand. Given the significance of the site and its antiquity, this is something of a travesty. You can find out more about the Oratory and the work of the St Piran Trust here .