Campaign news

NHS Privatisation by the Backdoor

14th September 2014

NHS Privatisation by the Backdoor

Disaster-looms-for-NHS_large-e1308062563878Evidence has now been leaked which proves that big healthcare corporations, including some of the biggest US healthcare multinationals, are now taking the lead in directing GPs’ clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in allocating the £80bn NHS budget at their disposal. The previously unknown Commissioning Support Industry Group (CSIG) has been seeking to win contracts worth some £1bn for advising CCGs on purchasing patient care.

Those awarded these contracts will be involved in drug purchasing, negotiating hospital contracts, outsourcing services to the private sector, and (ominously) patient care reforms. The leaks show that United Health, the huge US health insurer which significantly previously employed Simon Stevens, now NHS England’s chief executive and formerly of Blair’s office, actually chairs this group, provides its secretariat, and recently covered the funding for senior UK health managers to visit its care centres in the US and to “explore their applicability in the UK”. What has also been uncovered is that all the big consultancies – KPMG, Capita, McKinsey, Ernst & Young, and PWC – are all members of CSIG.

Interestingly also, United Health’s lobbyist, Dr. Chris Exeter, helps to co-ordinate CSIG activities, and he previously worked for Sally Low, the wife of Andrew Lansley, the architect of the Health & Social Care Act 2012 which initiated the current wholesale privatisation. It is also notable that all CSIG’s meetings, which began 16 months ago, are unminuted. What all this reveals is the network secretly operating between Ministers and the privatisers – the big 5 management consultants, multinational private companies, and officials running the health service.

Ministers have always argued that GPs were going to be at the heart of decision-making in the NHS. This is now shown to be just a facade: the real decisions will be taken by multi-national management consultants and private companies. But what is even more disturbing than this deceit is the conflict of interest: CSIG will not only be advising on the commissioning of services from private companies, they will also then be advising on the purchase of healthcare from those same private companies.

Predictably the two commercial providers competing for the key lead provider role are Capita and a United Health-led consortium which includes its lobbying agency Hanover Media as well as KPMG and BT. The leaked emails also show that CSIG members have regular access to top NHS officials and routinely hold bi-monthly meetings in particular with Bob Ricketts, director of commissioning support services and market development at NHS England. In other words, NHS England has been explicitly created by the government to facilitate from the inside the wholesale outsourcing of NHS services, and GPs’ CCGs are just a cover for the real privatising operations going on over their heads.

From Left Futures website, with thanks

Background

By Ian Hodson It’s great news that a mainstream political party has recognised the importance of taking positive action to raise pay. Since 2008, politicians from all parties along with many in the media, have pushed the narrative that society will somehow improve by imposing austerity and blaming minority groups for the state of the country’s finances. Sadly, many have fallen for this deception and the ‘look over there’ politics that has rose to prominence since the Conservatives returned to power in 2010. [continue...]

Folkestone United – coming together to support migrants Bridget Chapman, Folkestone United, reports [continue...]

No Witch-Hunts In The GMB, Reinstate Keith Henderson (The Online Petition) Keith Henderson Essex LRC member and former Regional Organiser of the GMB Union was dismissed from the GMB last December, Keith has always believed that the real reason for his dismissal was because of his socialist beliefs and the manifestation of his beliefs. [continue...]

Please see our Labour Briefing Website here: LabourBriefing.org [continue...]

The LRC is supporting a broad alliance of campaign groups and trade unions against the proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill (currently before Parliament) and putting forward our alternative based on social justice and welfare for all. [continue...]

Across the country working people are losing their jobs and their homes. Meanwhile the bankers who plunged us into this crisis have been bailed out with billions of pounds of our money. It’s time to fight back. Their Crisis Not Ours! is the LRC’s campaign to bring together workers, pensioners, the unemployed, students, those facing repossession and all those suffering because of an economic crisis that has been imposed on us. The campaign is supporting the demands of the People’s Charter. [continue...]

Rail bosses are using the recession as an excuse to attack jobs and conditions and cut back on services and essential rail works, and hike rail fares - as LEAP research suggested they would. Thousands of jobs are being threatened or have been lost. At the same time rail fat cats are raking in big profits and bonuses on the back of the most expensive fares in Europe. Make no mistake: as the recession worsens so will the attack on rail workers and rail services. [continue...]

The campaign calling on the Government to abandon its plans for privatisation of Royal Mail. The Government has introduced the Postal Services Bill to part-privatise the Royal Mail. With our affiliate union CWU we are fighting to Keep the Post Public! [continue...]

The campaign to demand the Government funds improvements to all existing council housing, and to start building first class council homes to address housing need. For more information see Defend Council Housing website. [continue...]