Bournemouth Lib Dem Health Chair call: 'Stop trying to privatise the NHS by stealth'

9.57.13pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 5th Aug 2006

Government plans to create an artificial NHS 'market' will lead to NHS-privatisation by stealth, warns Lib Dems

Government plans to create an artificial NHS 'market' will lead to NHS-privatisation by stealth, warns Lib Dem councillor Bill Brandwood, who chairs the Council's Health Scrutiny Panel.

Bill Brandwood says:

'The House of Commons Health Committee has just published a report that shows that Government spin about private sector treatment centres is far in excess of the substance.

'The conclusions are damning, and show that firstly, the private sector ethos is best kept out of the NHS, and secondly, that the Department of Health is not capable of managing its involvement."

The report raises over two dozen serious concerns in its conclusions about 'Independent Sector Treatment Centres', including:

• they "have not made a major direct contribution to increasing capacity, as the Department of Health has admitted."

• "that the Department has attempted to misrepresent the situation" (by using figures about one particular niche facility as representative of the mainstream)

• 'The Department claims that ISTCs drive the adoption of good practice and innovation in the NHS, but we received no convincing evidence"

• 'The threat of competition from the ISTCs may have had a significant effect on the NHS. However, the evidence is largely anecdotal. We are surprised that the Department has made no attempt systematically to assess and quantify (this) effect"

• aren't increasing choice: "without information relating to clinical quality, patients are not offered an informed choice." Choice will also be severely limited as in a competitive market there are winners and losers.

• "are not necessarily more efficient than NHS Treatment Centres"

Cllr Brandwood adds:

"This is a damning report and the Government must take notice of its conclusions. What I want and what residents need is real choice and the joined up health service the government promised."

The full 'Independent Sector Treatment Centres: Fourth Report of Session 2005-6 volume 1' is available from the UK parliament website.

Related Links:

Conclusions and recommendations on Independent Sector Treatment Centres.

Health Select Committee reports (see 25th July 2006).