7th October 2006

David Cameron at the Conservative Party conference played on Labour's slogan, "Education, Education, Education" with his own version of "three letters" - NHS - but what does this really mean. Read Martin Whitesides letter in response: 

The Tories have finally realised that people need assurances that health care will be there when they need it, and Cameron has at last abandoned a policy that he himself put forward just a year ago - allowing individuals to buy out of the service with patient 'passports'.

But your article noting the Tories new found love of the NHS failed to mention a critical fact (5/10/06). Conservatives still back the sale of NHS services to private companies and continue to see the marketisation of health care as a fundamental principle of health provision, despite all the evidence that both are damaging to health care and are far more expensive that a publicly run NHS.

Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has said that there should be 'no limits on the use of private firms to deliver the best services for patients (i).' But private health care is simply not cost effective, and selling our hospitals to private companies so that they can make a profit is immoral (ii). Health care must be provided by the state to ensure it is equitable and accessible.

In sharp contrast the Green Party believes wholeheartedly in a high quality NHS that is publicly funded, publicly owned, and publicly accountable. We oppose privatisation of  all public services and the market economy - health care is not a commodity to be bought and sold. Privatisation of the NHS has been rampant under this government, and the Tories want to continue with this policy - making the NHS  the greatest sale of the century.

Martin Whiteside, Stroud District Green party

See other recent letters by using search engine. See most recent letter re local health announcements here and sign the national campaign petition, "Keep Our NHS Public" here. The Green party is the only major political party signed up to the campaign.

Notes for Editors:

(1) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5403798.stm

(ii) In one example venture capitalists have pocketed an extra £81m million in profits from the £220 million PFI scheme to build the Norfolk and Norwich hospital. Billions more are being diverted into a new, expanding private network of profit-seeking 'Treatment Centres', which as pointed out locally are paid at enhanced rates, and select out the profitable treatments and patients, leaving the unprofitable behind in the NHS.

 
Locally The Citizen reports that private operations paid for by the NHS have saved Lydney Hospital but the county's biggest acute hospitals may end up counting the cost. The Citizen writes on 3rd Ocober 2006:

Paul Lilley, chief executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GHT), fears Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs) at Lydney and Cirencester will cream off the profitable operations, leaving Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General to fund complex surgery which will not cover emergency surgery costs. UK Specialist Hospitals is expected to work out of Lydney and Cirencester, giving patients more choice. But Mr Lilley warned choice could come at a price."It's very bad news for us," he told The Citizen. "We make a profit on elective surgery which subsidises emergency work and complex surgery. These ISTCs will take the straightforward surgery for the routine patients. What they won't take is the patients who have a number of problems or who are difficult to manage. They will take the patients which suit them and leave us with the difficult patients but without the profits we need on the routine patients. That will make it more difficult for us to fund emergency surgery. But we have to deal with it."