UNISON, the UK’s largest union, is today (10 July) warning that the whole future of our NHS is at risk because of the sheer scale of privatisation let loose by the Tory party’s Health and Social Care Act.
The inroads being made by private healthcare companies into the NHS is laid bare in a new report* which gives the lie to government reassurances that its new competition rules would not lead to privatisation.
Christina McAnea, UNISON Head of Health, said:
“This report should send a cold shiver down wards and hospitals across the whole of our national health service. The sheer scale of privatisation revealed in this report in just the last three months is huge.
“These changes will have a massive impact on the NHS, because so much money is going into the pockets of private providers and away from our health service. It was always this Government’s intention, regardless of what they said, to soften up the NHS for privatisation and make profits for their big business cronies.
“We can also see the dangers inherent in private companies taking over NHS services. You only have to look at the recent spate of problems created by private providers in areas such as out of hours care and providing the new 111 service. The Government must think again about its damaging privatisation plans or suffer in the ballot box. The public will never forgive a government trying to demolish the NHS by stealth.”
* NHS Support Federation report – http://www.nhsforsale.info/uploads/images/database/contract%20alert%20quarterly%20summary%20apr-jun%20%281%29.pdf
