Pounds for Patients.

[Cateran]

The Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI)'s report, published in The Guardian newspaper on 1.07. 19 is shocking. 400 NHS consultants owning shares in private hospitals to which they refer patients must surely expose them to irresistible pressures to refer patients to "their" hospitals whether or not this is in the patient's interest. This is just plain wrong.

Not my words but taken from a feature in Doctors For The NHS, recently. Do you agree with them or disagree? I for one am appalled. The NHS has enough problems without this kind of profiteering on the part of clinicians who ought to consider the moral case for their actions.

[hypercat54]

I agree but don't forget politicians have them too! x

[2greys]

This link?

theguardian.com/society/201...

[Cateran in reply to 2greys]

Yes, and thank you 2greys for the link.

[hypercat54]

Naughty peege. Annie get your gun Neill will be after you soon too x

[peege in reply to hypercat54]

😘

[hypercat54 in reply to peege]

😜😉 xx

[Izb1]

The fact that the nhs paid over £1b to private hospitals for nhs care is crazy, they would be better replacing the hospitals that they demolished in the first place and agree that it is a conflict of interest for consultants to have shares in these hospitals if they are using them for referrals. Such is our greedy world, no wonder the nhs is going bust x

[Cateran in reply to Izb1]

Yes IzbI, it does sound bizarre that precious funding is being misdirected in this subsidising of profit makers in the NHS. I view as well with suspicion the Transatlantic deal that the US government is trying to sell to the Brits wherein private venture capital becomes involved in NHS financing, part of Trump's pressurising his pal Boris Johnson. First separate the UK from Europe, then move in to fill the finance capital vacuum of sucking the life out of the publicly owned NHS.

[cofdrop-UK]

Thisis indeed a travesty Terry - a definite conflict of interest. I also agree with you about TTIP - it has long filled me with horror. If you asked the general public if they agree with the privatisation of the NHS, I would imagine there would be a resounding NO, however many parts of it are privatised already, albeit they go around wearing NHS badges and uniforms. The NHS also buys in the services of former NHS doctors.

Worrying times!

Thank you Terry for bringing this to the fore.

Cx

[Cateran in reply to cofdrop-UK]

A good analysis cofdrop of the creeping privatisation of the NHS. There is also the hidden and indirect consequence of allowing patient lists to rise so that some patients are obliged to go private. Clinicians should be barred from owning shares and equipment in private hospitals where they treat patients. As Doctors for The NHS puts it: "Doctors cannot blame government or management for the woes of the health service without first putting their own house in order."