The NHS has always used private contractors. GPs, Dentists, Pharmacists and opticians are almost all privately owned. There have always been private providers of various services in mental health.
It can make a difference if private companies deliver services:
- instability: they may move out when profits drop
- cost: they may have to pay shareholders
- transactional processes: charging, billing, all that
- ethos: can be very different
- unaccountability
The NHS would fall apart without private companies’ input. They provide all the equipment, build the hospitals, make the drugs. In the IT world, the whole of primary care IT is run privately – all your data is held on private companies’ machines. When the state tried to deliver a coherent IT vision, it failed, partly because the private sector had already delivered on a lot of it and fought to maintain its share. There is ample evidence that alternative providers can challenge state delivery and improve ideas, vision, relationships with users of the services.
Privatisation, strictly speaking, is the transfer to the private sector of services which were previously provided by the public sector. or as the World Health Organization has defined it privatisation in healthcare is “a process in which non-governmental actors become increasingly involved in the financing and/or provision of healthcare services”. Clive Peedell argues, very persuasively that “Further privatisation is inevitable under the proposed NHS reforms“.
Marketisation is the introduction of market principles and commercial competition into a sector previous run on other principles, and need not be associated with privatisation (though it usually is).
Equally a centralised planned economy need not be run through public sector organisations, though it usually is.
- In Place of Profit 2023-08-11
- The NHS – a shining jewel of social solidarity 2023-06-09
- CENTENE: THE REAL AGENDA – WHAT TO EXPECT 2021-06-02
- SIMON STEVENS – THE LONG VIEW 2021-05-14
- BEWARE OF A TROJAN HORSE PRIVATISATION OF GENERAL PRACTICE 2021-04-16
- Government response to Public Consultation on ICSs 2021-03-09
- Why it matters if General Practice is run as a big business? 2021-03-05
- Why the UK failed the pandemic test 2020-08-03
- Pay is ‘elephant in the room’, says Unite, as new NHS England People Plan launched 2020-07-30
- SHA COVID-19 Blog 20 2020-07-27
- Privatisation Protest at St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester 2020-07-15
- Grenfell anniversary: Fire Brigades Union “will not accept another year of inaction” 2020-06-15
- Plans by NHS bosses to create a super lab in north west ‘under the radar’ during coronavirus crisis attacked by Unite 2020-05-07
- News from the Frontline 06.05.20 2020-05-06
- HOW COME WE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT NHS SUBCOS? 2019-11-04
- We need to talk about ‘Integrated Care’ in the NHS 2019-06-15
- US-style healthcare is already with us 2019-06-08
- NHS should not be ‘sacrificial lamb’ in any US/UK free trade deal, says Unite 2019-06-05
- Caring for an ageing population – some Welsh perspectives 2019-01-27
- Phone app that could destroy our GP system 2018-12-13
- A NEW BLUEPRINT FOR PRIVATISING THE NHS – AND EVERYTHING ELSE NOT YET PRIVATISED 2018-11-02
- National Health Service (Co-Funding and Co-Payment) Bill 2017-19 2018-08-19
- Legislation, Privatisation and the NHS 2018-06-13
- Winning the fight for our NHS 2018-06-11
- Privatisation from the top-down: the corporate sector and decision-making 2018-06-08
- Privatisation from the ground up: property sales and rich NHS Trusts 2018-06-07
- The NHS doesn’t require reform – it needs a revolution 2018-05-04
- How to renationalise the NHS for real 2018-04-27
- Speech by Alex Scott-Samuel 2018-04-08
- Deep concerns about the ACO contract remain unaddressed 2018-04-05
- Inaccurate and Misleading 2018-03-20
- Winter Crisis? It’s a political crisis! 2018-03-16
- We Own It? 2018-03-03
- Are cash-strapped hospitals walking into a trap that could cost the NHS its family silver? 2018-02-27
- Adult social care: is privatisation irreversible? 2018-02-15
- Time to move on from the ‘love in’ with outsourcing and PFI – here’s how 2018-01-25
- Back to the future? Prospects for Labour policy on a renationalised NHS 2018-01-22
- What Carillion’s collapse tells us about public sector outsourcing 2018-01-21
- The Alzira model 2018-01-02
- What A Mess 2017-12-18
- Privatised services are failing thousands of vulnerable addicts and alcoholics 2017-12-17
- Toxic Privatisation Agenda Is Destroying The Soul Of Our NHS 2017-12-11
- The Slow Death of the NHS 2017-11-09
- The New Stupid Idea 2017-10-04
- Fake News and the NHS 2017-09-19
- Taking on the Legal Loan Sharks of the Public Sector 2017-08-31
- NHS Bill 2017-07-06
- The creeping privatisation of healthcare 2017-07-04
- The NHS has become simply a logo for a partially privatised system 2017-06-04
- Are there plans to privatise the NHS? 2017-05-29
- Let’s pledge to re-nationalise the NHS and prevent the cynical Tory plan to sell off Labour’s greatest achievement 2017-05-09
- Patient Transport Services and Damaging Privatisation 2017-02-27
- You get what you pay for 2017-01-24
- The Question of Structure 2016-09-17
- Tory Plans for Hospital Closures and Further NHS Privatisation 2016-09-04
- The unsuccessful privatisation of social care 2016-04-05
- Caroline Lucas proposing the NHS Bill today 2016-03-11
- National Health Service Bill 2016-03-03
- Tax avoidance and the NHS 2016-02-01
- Beware of the Reinstatement Bill 2016-01-20
- Time to End the Stafford Saga 2015-12-28
- Is that it for the NHS? 2015-12-04
- NHS Reinstatement Bill 2015-11-05
- Primary care could open door to insurance-based NHS 2015-10-27
- Outsourcing of NHS services a growing threat 2015-09-23
- Winning the Best Community Care for Lewisham 2015-05-19
- My experiences of my local NHS 2015-05-13
- Cancer Not For Profit 2015-03-18
- Dealing with market failure 2015-03-16
- the NHS report that Labour tried to block.. 2015-03-11
- Is the private sector always bad? 2015-01-30
- Hinchingbrooke, George Eliot and Liars 2015-01-09
- Nick Clegg’s claims about Labour’s NHS record 2014-12-15
- NHS Privatisation – A Ring Of Yellow Metal 2014-12-08
- The Clive Efford Bill 2014-11-23
- Avoiding privatisation in the NHS – a possible way out 2013-07-26
- THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE – CAPTIVE WORKERS 2013-07-25
- Cameron’s Great Nhs Carve-Up 2013-03-15
- European manifesto opposing the commercialization of the health system 2012-10-31
- Myths about PFI markets and privatisation 2012-09-25
- Europäisches Manifest gegen die Kommerzialisierung des Gesundheitswesens 2012-08-21
- Labour Health Policy Consultation 2012-08-02
- Hinchingbrooke test case for privatisation 2012-08-02
- Keep Our NHS Public 2014-10-07
- Circle: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors 2014-09-09
- Private provision of NHS services 2014-09-07
- Privatisation and Care homes 2014-08-22
- Doctor And Nurse Ostrich 2014-08-19
- TTIP 2014-07-11
- What do the public think about the NHS? 2014-07-09
- Madness in Staffordshire 2014-07-07
- What Future for Voluntary Services? 2014-07-02
- Privatisation in the NHS 2014-06-21
- Health policy reform: global health versus private profit 2014-05-08
- SHA policy on the NHS and social services we need 2014-02-23
- The NHS and the private sector 2014-02-09
- Public services: Quality and Accountability 2014-01-30
- The future of the NHS 2014-01-09
- Private treatment and the NHS 2013-11-10
- Defending the National Health Service 2013-09-06
- Insist on being treated by NHS staff? 2013-08-09
- The Proposed sale of Plasma Resources UK – Just another privatisation? 2013-04-07
- Wither the Socialist Health Association 2013-05-17
- Private Finance Initiative – the future 2013-03-28
- Being Paranoid might just be good risk management 2013-03-21
- Private Medical Treatment – numbers 2012-11-24
- Whither the NHS – a critique 2013-06-21
- Privatising the NHS 2013-07-22
- The So-What issue 2013-03-20
- 1997 Labour Party Policy 2013-03-28
- (3Ps) Publicly Owned Publicly Provided Publicly Accountable 2013-05-27
- NEW THREAT TO THE NHS – 5 WAYS YOU CAN HELP 2013-02-23
- Cost of the Market to the NHS 2013-01-16
- A Mixed Economy in the NHS 2013-05-13
- The Myth of Privatisation and Choice in Social Care 2013-04-25
- The real story behind the NHS changes: The US/EU Free Trade Agreement 2013-02-09
- A Modern Agenda for Prosperity and Social Reform Gordon Brown Feb 2003
- Adam Smith Institute
- Allyson Pollock
- Better Public Services Project
- Blair’s case for radical change 2001
- ‘Can we afford to leave the nation’s health to private enterprise? 1931
- Choice – Milburn v Hattersley August 2002
- Choice & competition Julian Le Grand 2009
- Choice, responsiveness and equity – Department of Health 2003
- Circle’s business model
- Circle take over management of Hinchinbrooke Hospital 2010
- Circle in Bath
- Civitas
- Commissioning – Health Committee 2010
- Community health centers compare well with private practices, researcher finds 2012
- Comparative Performance of Private and Public Healthcare Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review 2012
- Concordat with the Private and Voluntary Health Care Provider Sector Dept of Health October 2000 Benefits and Disadvantages of the Concordat
- Customer care won’t be enough Health Matters 2001
- Daniel Hannan MEP
- Doctors for reform
- The End of the NHS – Allyson Pollock Feb 2002 – Punch
- Evolution, revolution or confusion? Competition and privatisation in the NHS Health Foundation 2015
- The effect of healthcare delivery privatisation on avoidable mortality: longitudinal cross-regional results from Italy, 1993–2003
- Even Nye Bevan’s NHS saw a role for the private sector Pat Hewitt 2005
- From Market Chaos To Common Sense 1993
- The Future of Health and Public Service Regulation A. Lansley 2005
- Healthcare lessons from Australia: what can Michael Howard learn from John Howard? BMJ 2005
- Hinchingbrooke test case for privatisation
- Independent Sector Diagnosis and Treatment Centres
- Is the new NHS simply a vehicle to make money for some? 2012
- Keep Our NHS Public
- King’s Fund (many resources)
- The last act of the NHS Allyson Pollock and Fiona Campbell April 2001
- Lansley and Privatisation 2011
- Learning from the market – not copying it John Reid 2003
- Local authority experience of compulsory competitive tendering 1995
- Manipulating waiting lists 2012
- Markets and Competition in the NHS
- Markets In Health A Framework For Discussion
- Markets and Health debate March 2010
- Markets in health care: the theory behind the policy Civitas 2009
- A very messy business – regulation of private healthcare 2003
- Milburn seeks hospital role model in Spain 2001
- Ministers wash their hands of the NHS Guardian October 2005
- Modernising the NHS: a promising start, but fundamental reform is needed. Enthoven 2000 (BMJ paywall)
- Money Changers dismissed from the Temple (in Wales and Scotland) 2007
- Myths about PFI markets and privatisation 2012
- The NHS braces itself for privatisation April 2011
- NHS Market Futures Kings Fund 2005
- NHS reform ‘needs outside help’ Nicholas Timmins 2009 (FT Paywall)
- NHS to hire German surgeons – Guardian Feb 2002
- NHS foundation trusts to link up with leading companies May 2006
- No Mandate for Privatisation – Dr Peter Draper May 2005
- Nurses for reform
- One way capitalism can make health care worse and more expensive 2011
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Outsourcing cleaning services increases MRSA incidence: Evidence from 126 english acute trusts 2016
- Ownership, Incentives and Hospitals Spain 2010
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Patient safety risks in private hospitals August 2014
- Payments for care at private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals: a systematic review and meta-analysis – CMAJ 2004
- The plot against the NHS Colin Leys, Stewart Player 2011
- Politicians need to rethink the role of the private sector in the NHS Jan 2010
- Positively Public – UNISON’s campaign to keep our public services public
- Price competition in the NHS
- Private Healthcare Prof Joan Higgins Jan 2001
- Private Healthcare Network Map
- Privatisation of the NHS is accelerating Allyson Pollock 2005
- Public are passionate about equity but would accept private treatment centres Ipsos MORI survey 2006
- Questioning the claims from Kaiser – BJGP 2004
- Redefining the National Health Service – Alan Milburn’s speech to the New Health Network January 2002
- Reflections on the duties of government and the privatisation of services
- Reform of Public Services – Tony Blair’s speech 16/7/01
- Refusing Treatment – the NHS and Market Based Reform Civitas 2010
- The Role of the Private Sector in the NHS – report of the Health Select Committee May 2002 SHA
- Evidence to the Health Select Committee on the role of the private sector, Autumn 2001
- Submission To Commons Health Committee Inquiry Into The Role Of The Private Sector In The NHS – Ursula Pearce October 2001
- Scotland opposed to private competition in NHS June 2007
- Senscot – Social Enterprise in Scotland
- SHA statement on private sector involvement September 2001
- Should Brown set the NHS Free?
- Should the NHS follow the American way? BMJ (paywall) 2005
- Strong public services – Gordon Brown March 2002
- Supply 2 Health – the place to find NHS tendering opportunities
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing mortality rates of private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals Canada 2002
- Take care with privatisation 2005
- What is the Real Cost of More Patient Choice? Kings Fund 2003
- WHAT WORKS: PUBLIC SERVICES PUBLICLY PROVIDED By Colin Leys
- Why are our private hospitals so shy of lucrative markets? 2011
- Will NHS austerity mean feast or famine for the private sector? 2011
- World Private HealthCare Congress
Websites of organisations involved (actually or potentially) in providing health services in the UK, or commenting on them:
Pharmaceutical companies are not listed here.
- Abbott UK
- Allied Healthcare – Nursing, and Primary care
- Balfour Beatty
- Benenden Healthcare Society
- BMI Healthcare
- Bupa
- Care UK
- Circle
- Exeter Friendly Society – private medical and income protection insurance.
- Fresenius Kabi – clinical nutrition and infusion therapy
- German Medicine Net -Arrange Treatment in German Hospitals
- Guardian PFI News
- Horder Healthcare Orthopaedic and Musculoskeletal services
- Hospital Corporation of America
- Health Shield – health cash plans and health and wellbeing benefits
- Interserve
- Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser compared with the NHS BMJ Jan 2002
- King Edward VII Hospital Sister Agnes
- Laing and Buisson The UK’s leading provider of information and market intelligence on the independent health and community care sectors.
- LSE Health and Social Care
- McKesson UK
- Private Healthcare UK
- Ramsay Healthcare
- Serco Group
- Sodexo Healthcare
- St Andrew’s Healthcare charity specialising in mental health, learning disability, autism and brain injury
- St Anthony’s Hospital South East England’s leading independent hospital for complex major procedures as well as routine surgery
- United Healthcare UK
- Virgin Care