Fate of NHS in England a precursor to what will happen north of the Border

What is happening to the National Health Service?

The Conservative Government’s 2012 Health and Social Care Act effectively abolished the NHS in England. Responsibility was transferred from the Secretary of State for Health, clinical commissioning groups (insurance fund units) were set up, and GP practices had to join, otherwise they would lose all their funding. Strategic health authorities were abolished, so strategic thinking in the NHS disappeared.

CCGS were given a duty to tender all services, so for example a poor service in a neighbouring health authority could take over services from one which was performing well, if the cost was less. What is in the patients’ best interest became irrelevant.

Since 2012 areas of care have been outsourced or sold off to companies such as RBS, Virgin, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Netcare, Atos Medicare and Circle. Many of the companies buying up services are insurance companies, just as in the US.

Out of the total NHS budget of around £120 billion a year £8.7 billion goes to private companies. Before the 1990s only 4 per cent to 6 per cent of the NHS budget went on admin, now the figure is up to 15 per cent. We are heading towards the situation in the US where 30 per cent to 40 per cent of healthcare money goes on admin.

Of the 211 CCGS in England most have become commissioners of primary healthcare, and by 2016 80 per cent of them outsourced or sold off services.

This change was claimed to be about giving patients choice. Actually, it is about making money for private suppliers. And problems in general practice, such as difficulties in obtaining appointments, are mainly the result of selling off GP practice groups to private providers such as Virgin or Circle.

This is only the start; the NHS in England has become a process by which billions of pounds of public money are channelled to private firms. If the Tories have their way, all medical care will be privatised, and our healthcare will become like America.

And to anyone who says: “Why should we care? This is about England”, well, I for one do care about the destruction of our NHS, wherever it is happening, and unless we fight to stop it, it is only a matter of time before it happens here in Scotland.