CardiovascularBritish Medical Association Comment On Announcement On NHS Treatment Centres
The Department of Health announced that the terms offered to independent providers of treatment centres in the NHS in England will in future be more similar to those offered to NHS providers.
Commenting on the announcement, Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of Council at the BMA, says:
"Millions of pounds" worth of taxpayers" money has been wasted because of the government"s determination to encourage the private sector into our NHS. When the first wave of these contracts comes to an end next year, the majority of independent providers will have failed to deliver the amount of work they have been paid for.
"It"s a shame it"s taken so long to get an acknowledgement that skewing the playing field in favour of private companies has been unfair and wasteful. Independent sector treatment centres have been able to cherry-pick "easier" cases, potentially destabilising existing services. Even in future, private companies will be at an advantage because when things go wrong with a patient"s care, it"s the NHS that picks up the tab.
"Especially in the current climate, the NHS cannot afford poor value contracts, unnecessary competition, and duplication of services. We need much more of a whole-systems approach to the provision of healthcare, and we need the NHS to be run on the basis of co-operation collaboration, not competition."
Notes
1) View a BMA briefing paper on ISTCs here.
2) The BMA is currently raising awareness of the implications of NHS market reforms through its "Look After Our NHS campaign": http://lookafterournhs.org.uk
British Medical Association