LONDON(Reuters) - Health Secretary Andrew Lansley apologized for the poor communication of his health reforms and said changes would be made to draft legislation after nurses passed a vote of no confidence in him.
At their annual conference on Wednesday, members of the powerful Royal College of Nursing (RCN) voted 99% in favor -- the first time a no confidence motion has been carried against a minister in more than 30 years.
Delegates at the congress in Liverpool said the reforms would lead to "fewer services, fewer nurses, and a worse NHS."
Adding to the criticism, the Labour Party accused government leaders of misleading voters over health reform during the 2010 election and UNISON, the country's largest healthcare union -- representing 460,000 employees -- called the reforms a "demolition job."
Lansley said after the RCN vote he was sorry if the communication of the reforms had been poor.
He said he was ready to amend proposed legislation to ensure it was clear that nurses would have a role in decisions about care alongside other health professionals.
"I am sorry if what it is I am setting out to do has not communicated itself, because I think we have a shared objective which is for the NHS to be stronger," he told a group of nurses in a side meeting at the conference.
He told reporters that legislation being prepared would be amended to deal with what he called myths and misconceptions about the shake-up.
He said the reforms were a "once in a generation opportunity" to give patients greater control over decisions about their care.
"Of course they're substantive changes because otherwise it would be trivial. We're not here to do a trivial thing, we're here to get it right," he said.
The government has come under repeated attack over its Health and Social Care Bill now passing through parliament and is using a "natural pause" in the passage of the legislation to listen to concerns.
Under its plans, family doctors are to be given control of much of the NHS budget, while greater competition with the private sector will be encouraged.
"The answer to a bad bill is not to slow it down, but to junk it," Labour leader Ed Miliband told reporters in London.
"This is a bill which starts with a wrong-headed ideology and has a whole series of proposals which haven't been thought through."
By Stefano Ambrogi
Last Updated: 2011-04-13 15:57:15 -0400 (Reuters Health)
[New update completely replaces story posted Apr 13, 2011 as 20110413elin013.]
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