Private sector involvement in the NHS

 

Thank you for contacting me about private sector involvement in the NHS.

 

I know that the Government believes in the NHS and its values. It has always been clear that it is committed to protecting the NHS and that is why it has increased NHS spending and guaranteed that it will always provide treatment free, regardless of ability to pay. The Government will not privatise the NHS.  

 

The use of private providers in the delivery of NHS services is not a new concept. The Labour Government between 1997 and 2010 introduced the independent sector and competition into the NHS. The NHS and the independent sector have worked in partnership for many years, to provide good quality care to patients, which is the most important priority.
 
You may find it of interest to know that the use of private providers in the NHS represent around six pence in every pound the NHS spends, an increase of just one penny in the pound since 2010. Charities and social enterprises, such as Macmillan Nurses play an important role in the NHS, as they have done for many years.

 

What the Government's health reforms actually do is provide the framework to enable patients to be treated by the providers best able to meet their needs and give patients greater individual choice and control over their care. I think that it is right for local doctors and nurses to decide who provides the best care for patients.

 

The NHS is something to be valued and protected which is why I support the Government's commitment to increase NHS spending in England by an additional £10 billion in real terms by 2020/21. This will enable the NHS to implement its own plan for the future to further improve health care in the Five Year Forward View. 

 

I trust this clarifies the Government's position that competition in the NHS should act as a means to an end in improving services for patients, never as an end in itself.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.