The Health service journal
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The health authority and trust proposals for Birmingham's health services, currently the subject of consultation, are radical, untested and uncosted. They assume that once emergency assessment and ambulatory care centres are operational, under half the current caseload will need inpatient stays. University Hospital Birmingham trust's proposal for a new hospital built and operated by the private sector assumes no growth in activity and a 17 per cent reduction in the present bed complement, at a time when emergency admissions in Birmingham are increasing by 5 per cent a year. Analysis of the proposals suggests they will destabilise an already precarious acute service in Birmingham.
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There is no evidence that the UK's pharmaceutical price regulation scheme is working. Arguments for abolishing it are that it is seriously flawed and inappropriate to today's health service, and that there are better alternatives. A regional drugs committee which makes evidence-based recommendations to GPs, could be a suitable alternative. The government should look to the experience of other countries and consult with healthcare professionals and the public before making any changes.