Private companies are being invited by the government to bid for chunks of the NHS which includes NHS cardiology, gynaecology, oncology and paediatrics.
According to the Sunday Mirror, NHS cancer care are up for sale in a stealth Tory sell off, which is different to Boris Johnson’s election pledge that the “NHS is not for sale.”
In November Johnson said during a live TV debate that was watched by millions, that “our NHS will never be for sale.”
Labour MP and shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said, “The election was just days ago and here is Boris Johnson allowing private health services to run riot.
“Despite all his big promises, the reality is we will see more of our NHS sold off and patients will be waiting longer for vital treatment.”
NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) has set up a new framework that will see hospital trusts purchasing clinical care from suppliers.
NHS SBS said the scheme is “value-for-money means of buying additional clinical capacity,” enabling hospital trusts to meet targets, which could see deal valued as much as £117m over a four-year period.
Dr John Lister, from Keep Our NHS Public said, “This is batch privatisation aimed at encouraging NHS trusts to outsource services rather than provide them themselves.
“This could mean outsourcing whole units or services and transferring staff or making them redundant.”
The Sunday Mirror saw tender documents that listed 34 NHS departments that would be able to bid for private services.
However, the NHS SBS told the Sunday Mirror, “NHS organisations routinely purchase support from other healthcare providers when they need it.”
Leave a Comment