History repeating itself as NHS reforms hit the same old road

.21 Gigawatts of power ready through the flux capacitor, pedal to the floor... we are going Back to the Future! Select year... 2005.

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That's just a few years into my Consultant career and about six years after the Blair Labour Government had released The NHS Plan.

Before we go, I should explain the reason for our time travel is this Governments release of the 10 Year Health Plan: Fit for the Future. It has remarkable similarities with what was happening 20 years ago.

Back in 2005 my organisation was fighting to become a Foundation Trust. The promise was that we would have greater autonomy.

The government of the time told us that if we could demonstrate that we were a trustworthy organisation they would let us keep any profits, reinvest money into buildings and run our affairs with only minor oversight.

We, like many others, became a Foundation Trust. At least initially there was greater freedom and financial autonomy.

Similarly in 2005, there was a strong move to increase the amount of work done out of hospitals. Investing in new GP practices called Lift Buildings.

They were large health centres that would have extended hours of opening and provide a wider range of services. They would be well placed to reduce the demands on A&E departments.