No answers on delayed Leamington mega lab
A total, constipated silence from the NHS and ministers shrouds the long-delayed new “mega lab” that was supposed to have opened in Leamington Spa last January as part of the … Read more
A rash dash for your patient data?
Unlike the widely touted (and now delayed) date for lifting all remaining lockdown restrictions, the deadline for patients to opt-out of a scheme to create an unprecedented central database of … Read more
Judge finds Covid contract for firm run by Cummings’ friends unlawful
A judge has ruled that Michael Gove acted unlawfully when the government awarded a contract without a tender to a polling company owned by long-term associates of his and Dominic Cummings, … Read more
NHS dentistry struggling to survive
NHS dentistry is facing a “twin crisis of access and affordability”, according to the watchdog Healthwatch England, which means in reality for many people NHS dentistry no longer exists. The … Read more
Virgin given seat on ICS Board
The concerns of campaigners that the proposals in the NHS White Paper to give statutory powers to “Integrated Care Systems” would lead to private companies sitting on ICS Boards have been proved justified. Virgin … Read more
Test and Trace failure helped Indian variant spread
A report by a local council in the North East of England has found that failures in England’s Test and Trace system are partly responsible for a surge in the … Read more
Release of companies in ‘VIP’ COVID lane blocked by government
The National Audit Office (NAO) has been blocked by the government from revealing the names of companies that were directed to a ‘VIP lane’ to win lucrative COVID contracts. The … Read more
Court told ministers ‘lobbied’ officials over PPE contracts
A court has heard that ministers “lobbied” officials to chase the progress of contracts for the supply of personal protective equipment that were being processed through a government “VIP lane” … Read more
NatWest bank feared contract ‘VIPs’ could be fraudsters
The High Court has heard how the NatWest suspended Matt Hancock’s team from making payments to PPE suppliers at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic over fears they were being … Read more
Test and trace axes thousands of clinical staff
The Independent has learnt that at a “critical juncture” in the pandemic, thousands of clinical staff working on contact tracing for the government’s test and trace service will be axed. The … Read more
Government Pays £38 Million to Firm After Reneging on COVID Contract
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has paid out more than £38 million after reneging on a pre-contract arrangement with a provider of COVID-19 testing services. An NHS … Read more
Healthcare at Home placed in special measures
A Care Quality Commission report states that failures at the private provider Healthcare at Home meant that patients have come to avoidable harm; the company failed to deliver thousands of … Read more
Government asked to reveal details of £2bn Covid contracts with private health firms
The government has been urged to publish details of up to £2bn in Covid-19 contracts to provide extra capacity during the pandemic awarded to private healthcare companies, including some that have … Read more
NHS imaging: national privatisation threat
Guidance recently issued by NHS England could lead to entire networks of diagnostic imaging services being run by the private sector. NHS trusts have until 2023 to set up separate entities to … Read more
Labour reports that Non-NHS healthcare providers given £96bn in a decade
Research carried out by the Labour Party shows that more than £96bn of health service funding has gone to non-NHS providers of care over the last decade, with the amount … Read more
Lobbying scandal shines light on NHS outsourcing
A growing list of NHS leaders have joined Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, as components in the lobbying scandal that has engulfed the government … Read more
UK Covid contracts ‘raised red flags for possible corruption’
A report by Transparency International UK said a “seriously flawed” arrangement, whereby companies bidding for contracts were prioritised if they were referred into a “VIP lane” by their political connections, … Read more
Oxford trust chases private income
While most of the NHS battles to catch back up with a still-growing backlog of patients waiting for elective treatment, Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust is looking instead to expand … Read more
Private health sector propped up by NHS
Spire Healthcare has stated that it is “cautiously optimistic” that trading and profits will bounce back to 2019 levels after reporting income down by 6.2% to £920m during 2020, not least because … Read more
Tories accused of corruption and NHS privatisation by former chief scientist
Sir David King, a former government chief scientist, in an interview in The Guardian has accused Boris Johnson’s government of corruption, privatising the NHS by stealth, operating a “chumocracy” and … Read more
