Jean Gray asks if the Liberal Democrats' plans will stand the test of time

摘要

Little wonder they chose to trumpet this issue in their attempts to secure parliamentary support for the Health and Social Care Bill. From the moment the bill was published, it was clear that Lib Dems within the coalition government were trying to further their long-held view that local authorities should have more power over health matters.According to the Daily Telegraph, leading public health experts fear the government's plans to give funding and responsibility to local councils could result in cuts to much-needed health services. They are not convinced that promises of ring-fencing will protect core public health work from budget cuts, and cancer screening will not be cut in favour of highways.