LABOUR: GIVE US ANSWERS
Demand for assurances over race-row tycoon firm’s NHS software contract
LABOUR has demanded assurances over software provided to the NHS by the company run by racism storm Tory donor Frank Hester.
Hester is chief executive of The Phoenix Partnership, which has been awarded more than £400million of NHS and Government contracts since 2016.
Mr Hester, who is the Tory Party’s largest donor, allegedly made racist remarks about MP Diane Abbott.
Labour has pointed to a string of TPP software errors that caused issues assessing patients or data-breach risks.
The party has written to Health Secretary Victoria Atkins to ask whether there are any ongoing issues. Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “That the [ firm] run by Rishi Sunak’s biggest donor has been at fault for errors on such a scale in the past is incredibly concerning.
“The Health Secretary must assure patients the software is safe, that their data is secure, and NHS contracts aren’t being handed to Conservative cronies in exchange for donations.
“At the least, Frank Hester’s abhorrent comments mean Rishi Sunak must give back the donations.”
Mr Hester gave the Tories £10m last year and is thought to have donated £5m in 2024. In 2016, an error was found in TPP’s SystmOne software that meant patients’ risk of cardiovascular disease was miscalculated.
Security concerns included fears in 2017 that records of 26 million patients could potentially be accessed by hundreds of thousands of NHS staff.
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “Ministers and NHS England take the security of GP and patient data very seriously. Suppliers must meet high standards to be granted NHS contracts.
“These contracts are not managed directly by the department.
“Where issues are identified we are clear that the NHS should ensure the supplier resolves them swiftly and safely.”
Mr Hester said in 2019 that seeing Ms Abbott on TV made him “want to hate all black women” and that she should be “shot”, according to the Guardian.
TPP said on Monday: “Frank Hester accepts he was rude about Diane Abbott in a private meeting several years ago but his criticism had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin. Frank... abhors racism.
“He rang Diane Abbott twice today to try to apologise directly for the hurt he has caused her, and is deeply sorry for his remarks.”