NHS Outsourcing and Privatisation

Debate between Jonathan Ashworth and Toby Perkins

Wednesday 23rd May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Jonathan Ashworth]

I will take an intervention from Chesterfield and then I will make some progress.

[Toby Perkins (Chesterfield) (Lab)]

Chesterfield Royal Hospital is consulting on setting up a subsidiary company. Does it not seem madness that, to save £3 million that the hospital is paying the Government, it is creating this new organisation, which is being funded by the Government anyway? It is the emperor’s new clothes. The money is going round in circles without doing any good.

[Jonathan Ashworth]

In addition, hospitals have wasted millions in consultancy fees in setting up these organisations. They create a two-tier workforce because new joiners will not necessarily be on “Agenda for Change” terms and conditions, and they could at some point be completely sold off to the private sector. It is a back-door privatisation.