Prince Charles has raised hackles at the Department of Health, just one of several Government departments the heir to the throne has been bothering with hare-brained schemes for running various bits of the country in the absence of a proper job. Busy Secretary of State Andy Burnham and senior civil servants have had to divert their attention to a pilot scheme the Prince has put forward which is designed to reduce the time patients stay in hospital and save money through the greater use of homeopathic treatments. The view from inside Richmond House is that the idea is clinically, practically, financially and efficiently barmy and that the plan would be in the nearest shredder if it hadn’t come from the Prince. This view has strong backing from MPs on the Science and Technology select committee which, after investigating the efficacy of homeopathy, concluded the millions spent on such treatments by the NHS every year are a waste of money and that there is no evidence of them doing any good except as a placebo. Which is where hard-pressed Mr Burnham and his colleagues are missing a trick. Why don’t they just tell Charles the scheme is going ahead, but just do nothing? He will feel a whole lot better and the professionals can get on with their jobs.
