To worry the new health minister Sajid Javid will privatise the NHS…

[Ijustknowitstimetogo]

But not before running it into the ground?

He’s reassigning from his position at US bank JP Morgan where he earns £150k as an advisor.

JP Morgan say they "see the opportunities that lie ahead" for private healthcare.

He’s already making promises that we will never return to Coronavirus rules. Shouldn’t that be decided by any future epidemiology and health service data? Not just an empty promise based on finance only.

Not looking good, is it?

As I am on a roll:

www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/nhs-long-term-plan-explained

While I am banging on, MH also cannot gift deals, PPE or otherwise to his mates. It doesn't work like that

It doesn’t work like that in normal times. All processes were suspended last year and if you think Hancock and his mates didn’t benefit you’re beyond naive.

@Blossomtoes

While I am banging on, MH also cannot gift deals, PPE or otherwise to his mates. It doesn't work like that

It doesn’t work like that in normal times. All processes were suspended last year and if you think Hancock and his mates didn’t benefit you’re beyond naive.

Standard tendering was suspended, of course, that can takes months. But contracts were still awarded in the same manner via hospital trusts, CCG's, PHE, NHS England,. Matt Hancock does not award contracts, not sign off on them. Ministers were allowed to put forward companies, but they still needed to go through due process. Most went to companies already on the NHS approved provider list.

Anyway, that is what the NAO is for. It will all come out eventually. I believe most of the contracts are now released, so I am sure if there is anything to find, it will be reported. I can't imagine with all the leaks coming out at the moment, this much vaunted issue would be ignored.

I am sure if there is anything to find, it will be reported. I can't imagine with all the leaks coming out at the moment, this much vaunted issue would be ignored

It’s been widely reported. I’m assuming HSJ is a reputable enough source for you.
www.hsj.co.uk/finance-and-efficiency/exclusive-english-nhs-awarded-framework-deal-to-hancocks-familys-firm-two-years-ago/7029906.article

Then, of course, there was this.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/26/matt-hancock-former-neighbour-won-covid-test-kit-contract-after-whatsapp-message

[quote Blossomtoes]I am sure if there is anything to find, it will be reported. I can't imagine with all the leaks coming out at the moment, this much vaunted issue would be ignored

It’s been widely reported. I’m assuming HSJ is a reputable enough source for you.
www.hsj.co.uk/finance-and-efficiency/exclusive-english-nhs-awarded-framework-deal-to-hancocks-familys-firm-two-years-ago/7029906.article

Then, of course, there was this.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/26/matt-hancock-former-neighbour-won-covid-test-kit-contract-after-whatsapp-message[/quote]
Both of those articles confirm that the contracts went through the due process.

Both of those articles confirm that the contracts went through the due process

It’s obviously not very effective, is it? An awful lot of Matt’s mates have managed to feather their nests through it. There are also reports of pukka suppliers being refused entry into the process at all.

It was sheer coincidence these contracts went to friends and family of the H.S

@GlutenFreeGingerCake

It was sheer coincidence these contracts went to friends and family of the H.S

Of course it was. 🤣

@GlutenFreeGingerCake

It was sheer coincidence these contracts went to friends and family of the H.S

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@mustlovegin

*This government has already abolished NHS GP provision in our area. The only way for me to see a GP is to pay privately*

How is this possible? Odd

I cannot get through on the phone. The online app only allows appointments to be booked in the next two weeks and there are never any available in the next two weeks.

I'm not sure why you think Sajid Javid is any more at risk of doing this than the last four or five health secretaries?

There's definitely an agenda to bring the private sector into the NHS - and I'm not a fan of the idea -- but he's hardly worse than the previous incumbents.

Having been a banker doesn't on its own mean you are any more likely to be pro privatization than the next bloke: its a pretty simplistic worldview to assume that all bankers are all rampant asset strippers.

I disagree with a poster above that it's a problem with people paying less taxes

Just to clarify, I didn't mean that taxes should be raised, but that availability of employment opportunities should be maximised so that more people are contributing and fewer need to claim benefits - hence more resources can go into the NHS

With the size of the waiting lists for electives, there is no choice but for the NHS to shunt some of that work off to the private sector. They could never get through the backlog with nhs resources alone, especially with distancing and covid protocols in place making things even slower.

This is how they do it 'more efficiently'. Cream off all the super easy cases and enjoy the profits. Anything even slightly complex goes back to the NHS

Organisationally, it makes perfect sense to have one organisation that processes all the straight-forward cases quickly and efficiently, and a second that can devote as much time as necessary to the complicated cases. It would make sense for the "simple case" organisation to exist even if it weren't private sector. (Presumably it's private because simple cases are easily to cost, and therefore it is viable to run a competition to see who can do them at lowest cost, and the resulting cost is less than what would happen in the messier and more complicated world of the normal NHS.)

(I recently heard someone proposing a similar reform within NHS, that there be hospitals with no emergency case-load who handle routine operations, because having one hospital handle both emergencies and routine was a massive cause of inefficiency. )

I don't know whether he is going to privatise the NHS or not but it's certainly not currently fit for purpose and at the very least could do with being more efficient.

@MrsJuliaGulia

I don't know whether he is going to privatise the NHS or not but it's certainly not currently fit for purpose and at the very least could do with being more efficient.

On what measure and who says?

Just to clarify, I didn't mean that taxes should be raised, but that availability of employment opportunities should be maximised so that more people are contributing and fewer need to claim benefits - hence more resources can go into the NHS

That would only work if wages were at a fair level. They aren’t.

Not forgetting that the NHS is part of a US-UK trade deal.