Thank you for contacting me about private sector involvement in the NHS.
I believe fully in the NHS and its values as does the Government which is committed to protecting the NHS; that is why NHS spending has increased and Ministers have guaranteed that it will always provide treatment free at the point of need, regardless of ability to pay. The Government will not privatise the NHS.
The use of private providers and the voluntary sector in the delivery of NHS services is not a new concept. Between 1997 and 2010, the Labour Government introduced the independent sector and competition into the NHS. The focus throughout the NHS is to provide the highest quality of care to patients, and that focus is completely shared by the Government.
You may find it of interest to know that the use of private providers in the NHS represents just over seven pence in every pound the NHS spends, an increase of just two and a half pence in the pound since 2010, and a slower rate of growth than under Labour. Charities and social enterprises, such as Macmillan Nurses, continue to play an important role in the NHS, as they have done for many years.
What the Government’s health reforms actually do is provide the framework to enable patients to be treated by the providers best able to meet their needs and give patients greater individual choice and control over their care. I think that it is right for local doctors and nurses to decide who provides the best care for patients. In fact, under the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, it would be illegal for the Secretary of State deliberately to try to increase the share of private sector work carried out at the expense of other providers.
The NHS is something to be valued and protected which is why I support the Government’s commitment to properly funding the NHS: since 2010 the NHS budget has been increased every year, and I am happy to say that, despite challenging financial circumstances, the Government will have invested a further £20 billion in the NHS by 2023/24.
I trust this clarifies the Government’s position that competition in the NHS should act as a means to the end of improving services for patients, never as an end in itself.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP