DoH ‘axes’ private sector clinics
The health secretary has denied the Department of Health (DoH) has axed controversial plans to involve private sector treatment centres in the NHS.
The director general has recommended seven schemes are dropped because they do not offer value for money or are poorly used.
In a ministerial statement to MPs, Alan Johnson insisted the government is not dropping its policy of using private sector centres to treat NHS patients, insisting they continued to have many benefits.
But Mr Johnson said the DoH wants to make better use of the independent sector, ensuring all schemes offer sound value for money and meet local needs.
To assess the cost-effectiveness of ongoing contracts, the DoH has undertaken a revalidation of all schemes currently being procured nationally.
Following this, the director general has now approved ten for procurement but recommended six are closed because they are unlikely to provide acceptable value for money. A seventh is recommended for closure because of poor usage rates.
Mr Johnson told MPs: “The reduction in the overall size of the procurement does not represent a change in policy. As I have stated before, we will continue to use the independent sector.”
The health secretary said the government’s support for private sector schemes has always been practical rather than ideological and dependent on providers’ ability to offer value for money and high quality patient care.
In a further scaling back of policy, Mr Johnson said private sector procurement would no longer by led by Whitehall but instead arranged on a local level.
He said this would enable primary care trusts to make decisions quickly to meet local needs.
Mr Johnson said: “There is no doubt the independent sector has helped improve health services for patients, helping speed up treatments and galvanise the NHS to raise its game.
“Private sector companies and voluntary sector providers are providing NHS patients with access to high quality and faster treatment – as well as offering patients unprecedented choice about when and where they are treated.”
He defended the use of private sector centres, insisting they had been “instrumental” in helping the NHS cut waiting times.
The Liberal Democrats argue yesterday’s announcement amounts to a partial junking of the scheme which will create confusion in the health service.
Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb said: “Despite years of reassuring us that private treatment centres will improve the NHS, the prime minister refuses to tell us whether he wants more or less of them.”
Predicting the government will have to compensate those private schemes scheduled for closure, Mr Lamb asked how much taxpayers’ money would be spent resolving the “remarkable volte-face”.
