Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

NHS privatisation to be reined in under secret plan to reform care

NHS privatisation to be reined in under secret plan to reform care

Proposal expected to feature in Queen’s speech after spending on private firms passes £9bn

Privatisation of NHS care will be significantly curbed under confidential plans that health service bosses expect Downing Street to include in the Queen’s speech next month.

Local NHS bodies in England would no longer have to put out to tender any contract worth at least £615,278. That requirement has contributed to a big increase in outsourcing of services and a record £9.2bn of the NHS’s budget now being handed to private firms.

Under NHS England’s proposals, Boris Johnson would have to scrap key elements of Andrew Lansley’s shake-up of the NHS in England in 2012, which bitterly divided the then coalition government.

The Guardian has obtained an NHS England document which summarises 22 key changes it believes will be included in an NHS reform bill due to be published next month.

A twin-pronged attempt to severely restrict future privatisation would involve scrapping section 75 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and removing the commissioning of healthcare services from the remit of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

The proposals also seek to limit the role of competition between different parts of the NHS, which critics claim has proved costly, damaging and a distraction from caring for patients.

The proposals are likely to gain government backing because NHS England was asked to draw them up by Theresa May when she was prime minister, in order to allow changes in how the health service operates to go ahead as part of its ambition under the long-term plan to integrate care.

“This is long overdue. These proposals would protect the NHS from the worst excesses of privatisation and end the situation where different parts of the health service have had to compete against each other,” said Sara Gorton, the head of health at the union Unison.

“Our precious NHS needs to be in the best possible state so it’s protected when the UK leaves the EU, whether it’s with or without a deal. It must be able to fend off the circling vultures who would see it torn up in pursuit of profit.”

Section 75 of the 2012 act led to NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) tendering thousands of mainly small-value contracts, 40% of which were won by private firms. That led to an increased fragmentation of NHS care, with profit-driven companies taking over key types of diagnostic and treatment services.

The plans are likely to become public at NHS England’s board meeting on Thursday.

Dr Tony O’Sullivan, the co-chair of Keep Our NHS Public and a retired paediatrician, backed the repeal of section 75. “Some of the most controversial clauses have led to the carve-up of the NHS into contracts and a competitive market.”

But the bill should go further and outlaw all privatisation of any clinical services and reinstate the NHS as the sole provider of its own array of services, he added.

NHS England’s controversial attempt to take PET-CT cancer scanning services in the Thames Valley away from the Oxford University Hospitals NHS trust and hand them to the firm InHealth showed that it could not be trusted, he suggested. The plan caused an outcry and NHS England was forced to back down.

In a break with normal procedure NHS England officials, led by its national director of strategy Ian Dodge, have drafted the bill, rather than the Department of Health and Social Care.

It will also include proposals to:

• Allow the creation of a new type of NHS trust, called “integrated care providers”.

• Let NHS England and NHS Improvement, the service’s financial regulator, extend their already close working relationship into a full, legal merger.

• End the Competition and Markets Authority’s role in the NHS, which could lead to more NHS trusts merging.

The cross-party Commons health and social care select committee has already given its backing to NHS England’s proposed legislative changes.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
×