Private sector schemes axed
pharmafile | November 16, 2007 | News story | |Â Â NHS, private sectorÂ
Poor value for money and improvements in the NHS have forced a number of planned private sector schemes to be cut.
But the government continues to back the use of the private sector as a way of delivering more procedures, better choice, and faster treatment to patients.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson has unveiled three new projects of this kind and says are seven more are in the pipeline, even as he announced that six planned schemes have had to be scrapped.
They were found by Director General of the Department’s Commercial Directorate not to be value for money because local NHS providers had successfully increased their capacity.
An existing private sector contract to provide diagnostic services in the West Midlands has also been terminated after it showed only a 5% take-up rate.
Doctors leaders said it was a ‘crying shame’ that many of the schemes have wasted NHS budget, and they pressed for an open admission of exactly how much money has been lost.
Dr Jonathan Fielden, chair of the BMA Consultants Committee, added: “The idea that independent sector schemes have been instrumental in helping the NHS is a fallacy. The vast majority of waiting time cuts and innovations in service have been made by NHS trusts – by hard-working and dedicated NHS doctors and other staff.”
The government’s Independent Sector Treatment Centre (ISTC) programme aims to use privately owned facilities, including dialysis treatment and diagnostic centres, within the NHS.
Alan Johnson said: “The Independent Sector is playing an important and increasing role within the NHS, providing high quality treatment and choice for patients, and innovation, dynamism and contestability for existing NHS providers.”
“Our approach to the Independent Sector is pragmatic not ideological. Where independent sector providers offer good value for money, innovation, and high quality patient care, we will continue to bring them in to work as part of the family of NHS providers.”
Johnson said ISTC schemes worth a total of £1.4 billion were already up and running and are showing an 84% success rate on delivering the number of planned procedures – there was no comment on the percentage representing those that proved cost-effective.
He did say future schemes would be implemented at local rather than central level to improve coordination and increase value in NHS-private partnerships, a shift in direction welcomed by the BMA.
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