Labour and the private sector: an unequal marriage
Labour’s delayed and much vaunted Ten Year Plan for the NHS, Fit for the Future, has 150-plus pages rammed full of ideas, some good, some bad – but barely a word on how … Read more
Radiology delays linked to unsustainable NHS Privatisation
Nearly one million patients in England waited over a month for their scan results in 2024, marking a 28% increase from the previous year, according to data published by the Royal College … Read more
Review of new report: ”forty years of failure” – examining the lessons from NHS outsourcing
Forty years of failure – Private sector contracting and its impact on the NHS, by Dr John Lister, offers a scathing critique of the NHS’s privatisation experiments. Each chapter peels back … Read more
SubCos return, in threat to NHS pay and conditions
Subsidiary companies (Sub Co), spun off from the NHS, are back in favour as part of the effort to save money in the NHS. Sir Jim MacKey, NHS England’s transition CEO, … Read more
Management consultants step up for NHS shakeup and beyond
The scale of the government’s structural overhaul of the NHS is proving to be far greater than initially thought, with up to 30,000 jobs now at risk. With internal battles to … Read more
Waste and delay still occur in improved outsourcing process
Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) strapped for cash continue to see time and money disappear on lengthy procurement processes open to private companies and legal challenges. In recent weeks, two large-scale … Read more
Lack of accountability and management failure: what the ESNEFT outsourcing decision reveals
Hundreds of non-clinical support staff are being forced out of NHS employment by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) by a process that appeared all along to … Read more
Employers offer more health insurance benefits
According to headline figures from a report by private health market analysts LaingBuisson, the private medical insurance (PMI) business is booming. Almost one in eight people, or 4.68 million, have some form … Read more
Healthcare analysts say almost one in eight Britons now has private medical insurance
Analysts of private healthcare LaingBuisson say that almost one in eight Britons now has medical insurance, the highest proportion since 2008, with NHS care delays driving a rise in people … Read more
Independent sector charges rise for hysterectomies in face of NHS delays
The Guardian reports on research showing women are paying up to £11,154 for a hysterectomy in a private hospital, amid huge delays for NHS gynaecological care prompting the suggestion that … Read more
Increased role for private sector in cutting NHS waiting lists in England
The government plans for private hospitals to provide NHS patients in England with as many as a million extra appointments, scans and operations a year in a drive to cut … Read more
Surge in patients seeking private referrals from GPs
Wessex local medical committee has issued a warning letter to three integrated care boards where it represents GPs: Dorset; Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; and Bath and North East … Read more
‘Safety concerns’ over patient transport provider
EMED, a private patient transport company taking over contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds, is reported to be grappling with concerns about service performance and risk to patients. EMED … Read more
Sudden closure of private care home
Active Care Group is to close the Bobbins Care Home in Swindon that has been providing residential care services to adults with learning or physical disabilities. Residents and their families … Read more
Finance staff privatised by Notts Trust
Nottingham University Hospitals Trust have outraged trade unions and campaigners by outsourcing parts of their finance department in the desperate effort to cut spending. The Trust faces a £104m deficit … Read more
Private sector’s latest grab for profits
It’s another autumn, and the private healthcare sector is again attempting to convince journalists and the public that it is booming. The publicists for the private hospitals are keen to take the stigma … Read more
Suspense as Frimley Trust offers meeting to discuss outsourcing
More than 20 radiographers, radiology assistants and associated support staff, members of the GMB employed by Frimley Health have opted to suspend action following their 100% ballot vote to strike. … Read more
Private equity owned company gains billion £ contract for community services
The private equity-owned company, HCRG Care, has been awarded a contract to lead all adult and community services across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) Integrated Care … Read more
Safety concerns at Kuwaiti-owned UK care company
An investigation by iNews has found that Voyage Care, one of Britain’s largest providers of care for vulnerable people, has seen a significant fall in safety standards over the past … Read more
NHS privatisation: will Colchester be the last time?
Electing a Labour government with its close links to the trade unions raises many expectations. The King’s Speech commitment to legislate policy around workers’ rights includes tackling decades of outsourcing, with … Read more
