Keep profit out of NHS

Published: 11 February, 2011

• WHEN cuts are being made, why spend more on this new NHS system? Calculations by the Health Service Journal suggest the new model could cost £1.2bn more than the current one. 

The reforms will increase the proportion of money directed away from direct patient care. The process of restructuring alone will cost between £2bn and £3bn. So where are the overall savings?

A postcode lottery will result. Huge differences in the arrangements for healthcare will emerge between areas, with the formation of up to 500 GP consortia, all free to set their own priorities. Patients could be forced to change their GP or relocate to another area to get the care they need.

The financial success of each GP consortium will affect the level of service that patients receive. 

It will influence the types of care provided and the number of episodes of care that will be paid for. So those of us needing hospital treatment may be told we will have to wait until the next financial year.

There is a real danger of a two-tier service. Providers will compete for contracts in more affluent areas, leaving poorer communities struggling to sustain a comprehensive range of healthcare of a comparable standard. The increasing trend to allow personal top-ups to the funding of care will widen the divisions between those who can afford to pay and those who can’t. 

This will clearly be seen in hospitals where the use of private pay beds will allow patients with less medical need to jump the NHS queue.

In any case, I do not want the profit motive involved in health care. If people are looking for profit rather than focused on what is best for the patient, corners will be cut and patients will suffer.

We all need to make sure the government gets the message that we will defend our NHS. Readers can find out more at www.facebook.com/pages/Public-Health-not-Private-Wealth-Save-our NHS/185477931473128.

RICHARD SOLLY
Thornhill Square, N1