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You get what you pay for – landmark study exposes NHS privatisation risks

England’s NHS has relied on outsourcing cleaning but new firm evidence about increased infection risks should make it reassess.

Published:
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Image: the evidence on privatised hospital cleaning has been mixed - til now.

Outsourcing of hospital support services (like cleaning, catering, and laundry) is extremely contentious. Private corporations undercut traditional in-house operations, making profits by driving down wages and conditions of service. This is obviously attractive to cash-strapped hospitals.

But does it matter for patients?