Private sector set to milk the NHS
While NHS resources are facing a renewed and tightening financial squeeze, the limited funds available are more likely than ever to be diverted to paying for services in private hospitals … Read more
Government paid firm linked to Tory peer £122m for PPE bought for £46m
PPE Medpro, a company linked to Tory peer Michelle Mone, made an extraordinary profit on the sale of surgical gowns to the government. The gowns were sold to the government … Read more
Sussex CCGs finally get payment from disastrous outsourcing contract
NHS commissioners in Sussex have finally got back some of the money owed them following the 2016 collapse of the non-emergency patient transport services contract with Coperforma, according to a report … Read more
Private hospital rated ‘inadequate’ again amid safety concerns
The Priory Arnold, a mental health hospital run by The Priory Group, that was put in special measures last year has once again been rated “inadequate” following a newCare Quality Commission inspection. … Read more
‘Lack of respect’ for children at ‘inadequate’ hospital
The CQC has found that the staff at Huntercombe Hospital Stafford failed to provide kind and compassionate care and did not treat children with respect. The hospital was downgraded from … Read more
Policy of underfunding and outsourcing fails mental health patients
As the most vulnerable NHS mental health patients face growing waits for treatment, and the health secretary has announced that new staff ministers announce they want to start talking about … Read more
Government to burn mountains of unusable Covid PPE
The Department of Health has admitted to an MPs’ committee that it is planning to dispose of mountains of unusable medical equipment by burning over 500 lorryloads of it a … Read more
Unions win fight for staff to move back in-house
Almost 1,800 staff at the Barts Health NHS Trust are to benefit from NHS pay, terms and conditions after a successful campaign by trade unions and their members. The cleaners, … Read more
Insourcing – private companies working in the heart of NHS hospitals
With elective care waiting lists at a record high of over 6 million, hospitals are working flat out to make a meaningful impact, with hospital trusts having to find ways … Read more
Private healthcare boom adds to fears of two-tier system in UK
A report from the think-tank IPPR warns that the growing numbers of Britons paying for private medical treatment could lead to a shift that could undermine the NHS and create a “two-tier” … Read more
Centene’s investment shake-up could mean NHS u-turn
There was little public attention paid to the decision last year by US health corporation Centene to spend a reported $700 million in cash to buy out the remaining 60% it didn’t … Read more
Consultancies win pivotal role in NHS recovery plan
Seven companies – Bramble Hub, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, McKinsey & Co, Newton Europe and PwC – are being paid up to £42m for an initial two-month data contract, amid growing concern over the increasing … Read more
Doctors warned that privateers are destabilising NHS eye surgery
As Sajid Javid announces further private sector involvement in the NHS with the Elective Recovery Plan, there are warnings from ophthalmologists that the safety of NHS patients could be put at … Read more
Virtual GP service to pay fine for prescribing without CQC registration
A Judge has ruled that Pharmacorp must pay £13,670 covering fines, legal costs and a victim surcharge for prescribing drugs without a CQC registration. The online GP service, also known … Read more
Plan to tackle NHS queues lacks funding for staff, but favours private sector
The NHS England ‘Delivery Plan’ to tackle the growing backlog of waiting list treatment, announced on February 8, is not a plan at all. It lacks sufficient investment and – … Read more
NHS Digital paid millions to a firm owned by Director
NHS Digital paid at least £3m to Axiologik, whose co-founder and director Ben Davison also served as NHS Digital’s executive director of product delivery – for which he received annual … Read more
NHSE to spend up to £42m on management consultants for elective recovery
NHS England will fund integrated care systems to spend up to £42m on management consultancy help with their elective recovery plans this year, it has confirmed. NHS England has agreed a … Read more
Billions lost in PPE chaos, fraud and bungled loans
While the NHS has to badger and campaign to secure even a £20bn down payment on the costs of reconstruction after more than a decade of decline and falling real … Read more
NHS spend on private companies up 27 per cent in a year
NHS England’s annual accounts show that NHS commissioners’ spending on private healthcare were up 27% to more than £18bn in 2020-21, with pandemic effects causing it to rise faster than … Read more
Low NHS capacity in mental health leaves it beholden to private companies
The evidence of a massive increase in people in need of help from mental health services in the UK is now incontrovertible. NHS England reports 1.4 million people on the … Read more
