GPs On Stock Exchange
Wednesday 2nd March
2011
GMB ANGER AT PROSPECT OF GP
COMPANIES WORKING FOR NHS BEING FLOATED ON THE STOCK
MARKET
Parliament must amend Health
and Social Care Bill to put a stop to this and to already well paid
GPs from being paid additional bonuses from NHS funds says
GMB
GMB has reacted angrily to reports
that GP practices could as a result of the Health and Social Care
Bill be partially floated on the stock market - making profit for
both doctors and private companies. GMB has called on MPs to amend
the Bill to stop this.
A Channel 4 News investigation has
discovered the Health and Social Care Bill, currently going through
Parliament, contains few safeguards to protect patients from
conflicts of interest.
Health and Social Care Bill makes
provision for about £80 billion of the NHS budget handed to GPs,
who will buy in services. At present, primary care trusts (PCTs)
decide what care to buy for patients but in future GPs will decide,
meaning they can send patients to companies in which they have a
stake.
The Channel 4 investigation has found
evidence of GPs with shares in private companies which provide
services to the NHS for profit.
A leaked document obtained by Channel
4 News also shows how one private company plans to work with groups
of GPs under the Government's reforms.
The leaked document sets out how both
the company, in this case Integrated Health Partners (IHP), and GPs
could make a profit.
It suggests that if 5% is saved from
patient budgets, this can be shared as profit between GPs and the
company.IHP is involved with a number of GP consortia in Surrey and
aims to list on the stock market in three to five years, Channel 4
reported.
The head of IHP, Dr Oliver Bernath,
did not deny the potential for profits but told Channel 4 there
would be a balance, with points for outcomes, meaning savings would
not be made at the expense of providing quality patient care.
Dr Oliver Bernath told The Guardian:
"The whole NHS is £80 billion in spending and if GPs can take
underspends then we can get a large audience fairly
quickly."Investors will find it very attractive fairly
quickly."
Paul Kenny, General Secretary of the
GMB, said: "Neither the Liberal Democrats nor the Tories
had any commitment in their manifestos to do anything like this to
the NHS.
It is time that David Cameron
and Nick Clegg stopped wholesale breaches of their promises and
ensure that the NHS remains a public service run for the benefit of
the public as was promised at the election.
Parliament must amend this
Bill to put a stop to this and to already well paid GPs from being
paid additional bonuses from NHS funds. The Bill does not prevent
this by MPs must ensure that it does."
End
Contact: Rehana Azam
07841 181 656 or GMB press office 07921 289880 07974 251 823