GP records put private equity ownership in the spotlight The acquisition of Optum UK, the owner of EMIS, a major supplier of GP IT systems, for a reported $400 million … Read more
On June 1 patient-led campaign group Just Treatment, and social justice organisation, Global Justice Now (GJN) issued a legal challenge to the government implementing its toxic deal on pharmaceuticals that … Read more
Thanks to observant local readers of Lowdown in Protect Our NHS Bath and North East Somerset for drawing our attention to plans by the Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire Hospitals Group to outsource … Read more
The government has consistently pledged to “hold the door wide open” to private providers, to help tackle the waiting lists, but usage is declining, with the NHS increasing its work … Read more
The drive to remove the US company Palantir from the NHS in the UK ramped up in the last few weeks, with the release of a briefing by the health justice … Read more
A long and dogged campaign by Keep Our NHS Public North East demanding information on the state of outsourced sexual health services has culminated in Newcastle City Council ending a … Read more
NHS England has asked for nearly 300 patients to be moved from a mental health hospital run by St Andrew’s Healthcare in Northampton due to safety concerns for the patients. … Read more
Since 2019, demand for ADHD diagnosis has rocketed, and referral rates quickly outstripped NHS service capacity. Waiting times increased substantially, with reports of several years’ wait in some areas. The Right … Read more
As ministers weigh up the options for using private capital to build some of the new “neighbourhood health centres” and to finance the delayed “new hospitals programme,” recent revelations about … Read more
Social care systems in three regions of England are being deprived of millions of pounds as private companies extract large profits, with much of it going to firms owned by … Read more
One of the reasons ministers appear to have decided that they need the Department for Health and Social Care to take over complete control of the NHS and eliminate NHS … Read more
New figures published earlier this month show the extent to which some Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) have increased their use of the private sector since Labour took office last July, … Read more
After months of dispute, the government has decided to bring an end to the farce of NHS Trusts forming wholly owned subsidiary companies – subcos – to avoid tax and … Read more
University Hospital Dorset (UHD) NHS Foundation Trust based in Bournemouth and Poole has launched a tender seeking a private healthcare company as a long-term joint venture partner in order to … Read more
In late August the release of a report by US senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn) on the destruction of hospitals in his home state of Connecticut, and across the US by private equity … Read more
The government’s recently unveiled 10-Year Health Plan wants to set up to 300 “neighbourhood health hubs.” – local one-stop centres to offer diagnostics, outpatient treatment, mental health support, and preventive … Read more
The selection process for a provider of primary care services for the Whitehawk surgery in East Brighton “was neither transparent nor fair”, according to the Independent Patient Choice and Procurement Panel (IPCPP). … Read more
In an attempt to rein in the private providers of ophthalmology services, NHS England has just launched a consultation to reduce tariff prices for three of the most common procedures. … Read more
In a controversial move, the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (STWICB) has announced the termination of its contract with Shropdoc, a local not-for-profit organization run by GPs, for out-of-hours … Read more
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
