The NHS and Private Health Care

Silly me, I thought it was only Nick Clegg who broke election promises. Cameron stood for election promising 'no more top down re-organisations of the NHS'.

Let us be clear. The NHS so called 'reform' debate has nothing to do with private hospitals or other care provision provided via private health insurance or by individuals.

The issue is whether taxpayers money should be spent in those businesses. All the evidence shouts a resounding NO. Tory MP Nick de Bois is pushing for a YES. He has done nothing wrong but does not advertise that he is heavily involved with a company that stands to greatly benefit if the current Lansley proposals go through.

The Financial Times [not famous for being a left wing publication] on 4th June carried a front page headline; SOUTHERN CROSS CHIEFS NETTED £35m. Five Directors sold their shareholdings in Dec 2007 for 550p a share. The current share price is 6.3p, the Company is in deep trouble and some 31000 elderly & vulnerable people may well have their lives disrupted. Again there is nothing illegal about any of this but it cannot be right that the services that Southern Cross provide can be treated like any other business to be just bought & sold like a bar of chocolate. An FT investigation published on 31st May found that one in seven care homes run by private sector companies were rated 'poor' or 'adequate'. Old people deserve 'excellence' - not stock dealing profit making.