NHS market reforms are not linked with better care

This headline is in this week's Health Service Journal:

Research by the think tank Civitas looked at more than 150 published studies of market reforms introduced to the NHS both under a Conservative government in the 1990s and under the present Labour government since 2002. 

Analysis concluded that although waiting times have shortened, and patient access and provider efficiency have improved, much of this can be attributed to greater funding and the use of targets, rather than the introduction of the purchaser/provider split.

Of course the Greens have been saying this for years, health care is a service not a commodity...

Time to the purchaser / provider split!