The BMJ have published (10 Dec 2014) a new report which states that a third of contracts awarded since April 2013 have gone to the private sector.
‘Its analysis of 3494 contracts awarded between April 2013 and August 2014 disclosed to it under requests made under freedom of information legislation showed that, in total, non-NHS providers (including private sector, voluntary sector, and other providers) have secured 45% of contracts awarded since April 2013. The analysis of the data supplied by clinical commissioning groups showed that 1149 contracts (33% of the total) were awarded to private sector providers, 335 (10%) to voluntary and social enterprise sector providers, and 100 (3%) to other types of provider, such as joint ventures or local authorities.’
Gareth Iacobucci, BMJ 2014;349:g7606
In response, BMA council chair, Dr Mark Porter, said:
These figures show the extent of creeping privatisation in the NHS since the Health and Social Care Act was introduced. The Government flatly denied the Act would lead to more privatisation, but it has done exactly that.
Enforcing competition in the NHS has not only led to services being fragmented, making the delivery of high-quality, joined-up care more difficult, but it has also diverted vital funding away from front-line services to costly, complicated tendering processes.
Dr Mark Porter, 10 Dec 2014
Peter Roderick, barrister and co-author of the proposed NHS Reinstatement Bill said:
This is precisely what was anticipated would happen during the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill. It’s one of the main ways in which NHS privatisation is now unfolding. The NHS Reinstatement Bill would stop this.
Peter Roderick, 10 Dec 2014
We need to keep the NHS in the hands of the public.
Please contact your MP to ask them to support the NHS Reinstatement Bill.