Private firms to aid NHS trusts

PCTs commission services locally

Ministers have unveiled a list of 14 private firms approved to help primary care trusts (PCTs) in England commission services for patients.

They include UK specialists like Bupa, and big US health insurers.

Critics said the move was a step towards privatisation of NHS primary care services.

But the government said the firms could offer help in areas such as data analysis, but not get involved in the delivery of direct patient care.

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It said the new agreement - the Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners (FESC) - was designed to help PCTs keep the costs of obtaining expert advice on commissioning as low as possible.

Health Minister Ivan Lewis said: "This new guidance will allow PCTs to benefit from a bank of knowledge already built up through the Department of Health procurement process.

"PCTs will be able to work with organisations that are already known and trusted, which will enable them to concentrate their efforts and expertise on providing patient care."

Mr Lewis said it would be up to PCTs to decide if they want to use suppliers.

And he stressed that would remain fully responsible and accountable for managing services.

However, Geoff Martin, head of campaigns at Health Emergency, said ministers wanted to see the "wholesale privatisation" of primary care.

He said: "Despite the costly fiasco of PFI, the independent sector treatment centres and the NHS computer system, the government is still wedded to the idea that the private sector knows best and are going to hand over the commissioning of primary care services.

"The idea that the heavyweight American healthcare providers, with their disastrous track record in exploiting health inequality, can teach the NHS any lessons defies belief."

Mike Jackson, senior national officer for the union Unison, said: "Unison does not believe that the private sector has the necessary skills and expertise to commission healthcare for such a wide range of people, especially vulnerable groups."