I’ve come across a brilliant but enraging article on another blog on the subject of NHS privatisation. Normally I’d ‘reblog’ it, but it’s not hosted on WordPress, so I don’t have that option – but you really need to read it.
This article looks at a training programme being offered to private companies by a north of England NHS Foundation Trust – to help them to learn how to exploit the ‘Any Qualified Provider’ (AQP) rule for NHS procurement for profit.
That means our money – your taxes and mine – are paying for private providers to learn, essentially, how to take something that belongs to us and turn it into private profits.
It also shows how an organisation that claims to be ‘wholly NHS owned’ is actually a ‘collaboration’ of ‘public and private sector procurement professionals’ – a classic example of how the NHS logo is being hijacked by private companies to lull us into acquiescence while they make profit behind the scenes.
You can find the whole article here. Please read it carefully and spread the word.
Thanks.
You should post this one also http://www.energyroyd.org.uk/archives/9205#comments
It seems private corporations that run NHS services are tax avoiding!!
How does that stand with Cameron i wonder??
Jon Stevenson
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You’re right, Steve, this is an important article. What shocked me most was the fact that this ostensibly NHS organisation was offering a kind of ‘fast track’ method for private companies to get their hands on NHS ‘business’. Reading between the lines it seemed to me that it must have taken a while to set up the infrastructure for this – a lot longer than the time that’s passed since the Health Bill became law. It makes you wonder what Lansley was up to before last April and how he could be so confident that the radical changes Cameron assured us before the election wouldn’t happen were going to definitely pass through parliament.
Reblogged this on The Greater Fool.
In many, many ways the Private sector has been parasitic upon the NHS since it’s inception. This is simply a more extreme example and to that extent, unsurprising – and depressing. Exposure of the gall of these organisations is pretty much the only defence.
As a former NHS procurement professional (still NHS, just not procurement any more), I’m not convinced that anything quite as shady as suggested is going on here.
While I’m here though – huge thanks for your pieces on HSMR. Brilliant stuff.
Thank you! Hard to see how it’s a good thing for us to be spending money training people to put even more of our money into their private profits, though.
The idea – in theory – will be about getting private suppliers to understand the NHS better so that they can design their offered services to best meet the needs.
In general I’m against private provision in the NHS (some exceptions) – but if it’s going to happen then getting the providers to design services that fit the system isn’t a bad idea.
How effective the course will be in achieving that is a different question entirely though…
No supplier of any type who may affect public health, safety or security should surely be exempt from providing quick and accurate FOI responses or be exempt from a complete and verified ban on gagging clauses, whistleblower bullying etc.
Until the Govt. enforce these prerequisites, the NHS must blacklist and deny contracts of any type to such suppliers.