Amicus says privatisation is plunging NHS
further into debt
Monday 12th June 2006
Amicus says internal market reforms are costing the
NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds.
As well as causing PCT deficits, Amicus say that teams of
management consultants parachuted in to advise PCTs on how to
reduce them are being employed at prohibitive cost.
Amicus say that the irony is that the so-called ‘Turnaround
teams’ are being employed at a cost of thousands of pounds per day
and their recommendations mostly involve the shedding of vital NHS
employees jobs.
Whipps Cross Hospital in East London which has had to cut jobs
and beds in an effort to reduce its’ £24m deficit has
appointed a ‘Turnaround’ consultant at a cost of £1,200 per day on
how best to do it. This amounts to an incredible £150,000
over the term of a six month contract – more than eight times the
annual salary of a newly qualified nurse - and astonishingly the
Trust made public the news of the appointment on the same day it
announced the loss of 400 jobs and a 22-bed ward.
Other examples from around the country include a Turanround
consultant being employed for an initial three month contract at
Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust at a cost of £15,000
in and a team at Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire Primary
Care Trusts costing £300,000.
Amicus has learnt that Turnaround teams have been operating in
26 PCTs nationwide. Approximately half of these have already
reported and all involve cuts and job losses.
Amicus’ General Secretary, Derek Simpson, said:
“This is political dogma gone mad. We have to combat
the philosophy that private is best. Not only is private provision
detrimental to patients it is costing taxpayers millions of pounds.
As the so-called ‘turnaround’ experience demonstrates so vividly,
privatisation does not, and cannot, provide value for
money.
“Not only has the failed internal market
experience been the instigator of the Trust’s existing deficits,
the ‘private’ remedy is helping to plunge struggling PCTs even
further into debt. There is no benefit is felt by staff, patients,
or taxpayers.”
Amicus’ Assistant General Secretary with responsibility for
the health sector,
Gail Cartmail, said: “The biggest tragedy in all
of this is that the morale of health professionals is at an all
time low.
“Amicus is working with them to push the
government to find solutions but comments such as those from the
Chancellor that public sector pay should be subject to a freeze
over the coming years combined with news of exorbitant pay for
external consultants does not help the
situation.”
Amicus has also been lobbying against proposals made in the
Health White Paper that it claims will result in a dangerous
fragmentation and privatisation of health visitors. Amicus is also
joining with other trade unions to submit anti-privatisation in the
public sector motions at the forthcoming TUC and Labour Party
conferences.
Note to editors
Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, will address Amicus
conference at the Spa Conference Centre in Scarborough at 11.30 am
on Monday 12th June.
- Ends -
For further information please contact Catherine
Bithell on 020 7420 8909 or 07958 473 224
