NHS 'to undergo radical overhaul'

[Horwood Beer-Master]

The sharks can smell blood and Cons have not changed as they have always hated the public sector.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010 ... alth-firms

“The US private health giant Humana is ready to cash in on government plans to open up the NHS to more private sector involvement.

The centrepiece of health secretary Andrew Lansley's plan to reform the NHS is to transfer power to GP-led consortiums that will commission hospital and community care. GPs will manage the £70bn budget overseen by the soon-to-be abolished primary care trusts (PCTs) and will supposedly make choices on where money goes.

"We have huge resources that can be put at the disposal of GPs who will have a much bigger say on where to refer patients," Humana spokesman Lee Philips said. "Humana is already a commissioning support company that offers primary care trusts a complete end-to-end service. Are we optimistic? You bet we are."

Same for Education.
Private companies are looking to carve up school services as councils pull out.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/201 ... r-councils

“Firms that specialise in outsourcing education hope to profit from the Tory schools revolution by providing more frontline services, such as shaping curriculums and helping teachers prepare lessons.

Companies expect local authorities to pull out of services they have traditionally provided, clearing the way for the private sector to expand into activities from fixing leaky boilers to running payrolls.

The expansion is driven partly by spending cuts and partly by the education secretary Michael Gove's ambition to release more schools from local authority control.

Marcus Fagent, education sector leader for Mouchel, which is involved in consultancy, capital projects and support services for schools, said: "I think we're seeing things moving very quickly.

"What we're hearing is local authorities writing to their schools saying we're not going to be able to provide these sorts of services in future, what we're going to do is withdraw from these areas of services."

American "health giants" don't cure disease they are disease. We should not be allowing our country to get infected.

[Pensioner]

Predicted explosion in public services market will see stream of managers being offered lucrative packages.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010 ... ate-sector

“Predicted explosion in public services market will see stream of managers being offered lucrative packages. If the the last few years are anything to go by, the predicted explosion in the public services market will see a stream of top civil servants and managers being offered lucrative packages to join private outsourcing companies competing for government business.
Some of these will have been instrumental in drawing up government policy and providing advice to ministers. Many who have gone already have been accompanied by their ministerial bosses.

Not all go to enrich themselves. John Tizard, director of the Centre for Public Service Partnerships, says hiring public sector talent provides much-needed credibility and connections. "They [private companies] want expertise and understanding of some of the softer aspects: the culture, behaviour, the politics, how you work the political interface."

The top tier of the Department of Health has been a fruitful source of managers with insider expertise. Many of the companies started to gain a foothold in the emergent health market created by New Labour are now poised to exploit opportunities offered by the coalition's proposed "social market".

[Meekychuppet]

Say what you like about Labour, but they rescued the NHS. I am old enough to remember 18-24 month waiting lists for surgery, hospitals falling apart and Brits going abroad for treatment just to survive.

Make no mistake about it, this IS privatisation. We have a healthcare system that any country in the world would kill for, easily top three, if not number one. On Question Time last night the Tories were ranting about us having the lowest cancer survival rate in Europe. You're going to be hearing that a lot over the next parliament because it is just about the ONLY statistic that favours this. Personally I imagine it has more to do with us being junk food addicted, beer swilling pissheads but I can't prove that. The Tories are going to drive the NHS in to the ground in order to justify mothballing it and giving it to private corporations, most of which, coincidentally, appear to be owned by their friends.

For anyone who complains about the government being too involved in the NHS, bureaucracy, do so at your peril because the alternative we now have is far worse. This bill turns 'NHS' in to a brand, nothing more. Once in the hands of private enterprise you will be pining for the government interference of old because, for all it's faults, government is the ONLY disciplining restraint on the vultures in private healthcare. It is the ONLY element in the NHS that gives a shit about sick people. We are about to see the interests of shareholders and private business put above patient care. Every single person affected by this bill will become a number on a spreadsheet, and if treating your illness incurs a deficit in the cost margin then you'll be left infirm, dead or dying.

[Pensioner]

Spot on post Meeky.

[floppit]

One of the reasons it chills me so deeply is that the 'new' overhaul seems to follow a similar route to privatisation as current care for the elderly and it arrives under a banner of choice that in reality never materialises. In our county while there are pushing towards a hundred care providers, for any one person (usually suddenly) needing care it's still scrape to find a single one that can do it - therefore, no choice.

It's so sad. I have this awful feeling they will succeed and it always seems that once the tories have had their gnawing jaws into what's ours we never get it back, not the utilities, the countless properties, the transport or the care for the elderly. These belonged to us as a nation, then just got sold to a few of us - as one of those who just lost it I don't remember receiving my cheque.