Tuesday 16 August 2016

How much is the government really privatising the NHS?

How much is the government really privatising the NHS? Figures show privatisation to be less of an explosion that Owen Smith warns about and more a gradual, inexorable rise in outsourcing of services

The myriad different bodies that make up the NHS in England and their opaqueness, especially in regards to contracts to provide services, makes mapping the true extent of privatisation of public healthcare difficult.

But the available evidence bears out Owen Smith’s claim that NHS privatisation is increasing. However, it is less of an “explosion of privatisation” that the Labour leadership hopeful warns about and more a gradual, though inexorable, rise in the proportion of the NHS budget that is going to firms such as Virgin Care, Care UK and Bupa. It is also noteworthy that the private sector has been making ever bigger inroads into several key areas of NHS care, notably general practice, community services and mental health care. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

No comments:

Post a Comment