Privatisation /
commissioning - who’s involved?
Read openDemocracy stories on privatisation of the NHS (and
other public services) here and here or see links on the right.
‘Who’s
involved?’ Some profiles of private health companies from the NHS
Supporters Federation. Corporate Watch
and Keep
Our NHS Public also have profiles.
Find OurNHS stories on Virgin, Circle, United Health,
Spire, Care UK, G4S,
Serco.
‘A
Healthy Market’ - File on Four recently investigated how much we really
know about the private companies now taking over the NHS.
‘MPs
financial links to companies involved in private healthcare’ - a report by
Andrew Robertson of Social Investigations.
Health
Industry Lobbying Tour - a video by Tamasin Cave of Spinwatch/ The Alliance
for Lobbying Transparency unpicking the links between government, lobbyists and
private health companies.
Some 3rd sector organisations have become closely
involved - OurNHS looks at the role of charities and mutuals.
Clinical Commissioning Groups are the body tasked with
making local ‘commissioning’ decisions, see our page on understanding how and
why they operate here.
Privatisation/commissioning
- what’s the impact?
What’s the impact of privatisation? An A-Z
index of issues from the NHS Supporters Federation.
‘Destabilising
our Healthcare’ - How private companies could threaten the ethics and
efficiency of the NHS’ - a report from the NHS Supporters Federation
‘Competition
in the NHS - good or bad or something else?’ The (rather pro-market) Kings
Fund collates the studies, though rather glosses over the difference between
private competition (no evidence of benefit) and competition between NHS
providers (a more mixed picture, possibly).
‘Competition in
healthcare - the risks’ - An excellent and well referenced overview of the
evidence by Dr Jonathan Tomlinson.
‘The
madness of NHS privatisation’ - The evidence as collated by from Clive Peedell
of the National Health Action Party.
Action
Give your GP a
‘No private provider’ postcard.
Find
out what contracts are being put out to tender or ‘Any Qualified Provider’
(a kind of tendering) in your area (click on ‘find new opportunities’).
Whether services have already been privatised, or are
threatened with it, or you just don’t know yet, ask some of the questions suggested
in the TUC
guide (especially p14-15) or the Keep Our NHS Public CCG guide.
Research
your own MP’s financial interests.
See other campaigning tips on our 'Resources - Campaign tools'
page here.
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