Political parties and the market
Diane Abbott leads EDM in support of campaign
London MP Diane Abbott has tabled an Early Day Motion in support of the Look after our NHS campaign, urging a debate on ending the commercialisation of the NHS.
‘That this House believes that for the NHS to provide high-quality, comprehensive healthcare for all, free at the point of use, it must be publicly-funded through central taxation, publicly provided and publicly accountable; is concerned about the damaging effects on our health service that commercialisation of the NHS is having through market reforms including the use of independent sector treatment centres, imposed GP-led health centres and polyclinics, the transforming community services initiative and expensive private finance initiative projects; further believes that public money should be used for quality healthcare and not profits for shareholders; further believes that the NHS should care for patients through co-operation and not competition; supports the British Medical Association’s call to abandon the market in the NHS in England; and urges Government to restore the NHS as a public service working co-operatively for patients, not a market of commercial businesses competing with each other for financial gain.’
Support the campaign – write to your General Election candidate
The campaign is also part of the BMA’s Manifesto priority to ‘make the NHS sustainable in the long term’.
You can write to your local General Election candidate asking them to support the BMA’s manifesto and its priority for our NHS. Find out more here.
Post 2009 party conference round up
To varying degrees, all three major political parties see a continuing, if not increasing, role for the market in the NHS.
Labour
The current Labour government has been committed to the greater use of independent operators in the NHS although the Secretary of State for Health, Andy Burnham, has recently said publicly that the NHS is the preferred provider but it was the job of the commissioner to test whether services provided best value and quality.
See speech by Andy Burnham to the Kings Fund, 17/09/09
See details of NHS ‘preferred provider’
Conservatives
The Conservatives have stated that, in addition to NHS providers, any autonomous provider who meets the requisite standards should be able to compete to offer services to NHS patients. Read speech by David Cameron: Our Health Priorities 01/11/09
The Conservatives have stated that in addition to NHS providers, any autonomous provider who meets the requisite standards should be able to compete to offer services to NHS patients. Read Speech by David Cameron: ‘Our health priorities’, 2 November 2009
Liberal Democrats
The Lib Dems have stated that, in order to achieve their proposals for universal entitlements to patient care, their plans for local health boards will ensure that patients receive their treatment on time, by commissioning services in the private sector if the entitlement cannot be met in the NHS. See Lib Dem policy paper Empowerment, Fairness and Quality in Healthcare, 08/03/09
