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Many will believe the NHS is safer in Labour’s hands than in those of the current Tory-led coalition government; and believe that the Tories are corrupt and making personal gains from the demise of the NHS into a private national insurance contribution based provider of healthcare via private healthcare companies in this country. However, this ignores the reality of the fact that the privatisation of the NHS was long ago ‘enabled’ by the Blair government and ministers like Alan Milburn. It also ignores the reality and indisputable fact that many Labour MPs are involved with the private healthcare companies now lining up to buy up healthcare services and sold off and privatised NHS hospitals, of which the sale of 10 will probably be completed before end of 2012.
The total list of MPs with these interests is 65, meaning over 200 parliamentarians had financial interests in companies involved in private healthcare at the time of the Health and Social Care bill being debated and voted on in both houses. Further, Dr Éoin Clarke (PhD) who in his blog, ‘The Green Benches’ reports on the current status of the NHS and changes taking place; states that up to 10 NHS hospitals are about to be sold off by the Tory-led government with the newly appointed new Tory Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, having already placed South London Health Trust in administration by Jeremy Hunt. At least one of its 3 main hospitals will likely be privatised and we could learn of proposals as early as October; with a total value of any sell off £2.2bn Here in the North West, St Helen's & Knowsley have a £20m black hole in their funding as their PFI costs per year amount to nearly £50m. One of Andrew Lansley's last acts was to send a KPMG 'hit squad' into the Trust to sort its finances out. There is no other obvious solution for the Trust and privatisation beckons with a total value of any sell off £1.25bn All the Lords and MPs who are involved with private healthcare companies are likely to personally benefit from this situation. Whilst the full details of who those MPs and Lords are can be found on the Daily Shame website, it is worth pondering on those Labour Lords and MPs involved in this news item: Rosie Cooper - MP for West Lancashire - Paid by Cumberlege Connections for £300 for work with a focus group of health professionals. Company run by Tory Lord Baroness Cumberlege who broke the rules with this company in 2009, by failing to declare it in her registered interests, ran the business from her Westminster office. The company offers courses in power, politics and persuasion to leading staff in the NHS. Five Labour Lords, and several MPs have been paid for providing for her courses. The company is involved in bidding for the transition development of the new Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Patricia Hewitt (see below) was an advisor to Cinven. Frank Dobson - MP for Holborn and St Pancras: Received payment from Cumberlege Connections: (See Rosie Cooper) Frank Field – MP for Birkenhead: Is a non-executive director of Medicash Health Benefits Ltd a private health insurance company – he was appointed Chairman of the board on 20th of June 2011. Frank Field has worked with Medicash for 8 years having first been appointed as a non-executive director in 2003. The register of interests says his role is to ‘attend meetings offer advice.’ For this work he receives a monthly payment of £1,030, which according to the Medicash website will be given directly to local charities. What’s the problem with this? Private health insurance companies are set to profit from a privatised NHS. David Lammy - MP for Tottenham: Received several payments from Cumberlege Connections for participating in 'Westminster Experience' conference: (See Rosie Cooper). January 2011, received fee of £229.70 for participating in the King’s Fund ‘High Potential Executive’ Programme. King’s Fund are a charity that ‘shapes NHS policy and practice, provides NHS leadership development and information, and hosts health care events.’ David Miliband - MP for South Shields - received £10,000 from McKinsey and Co for a speech at a Global Business Leaders Summit in February last year. Also received a sum of £10,044 from the same company for travel expenses and accommodation in Singapore in March 2011. McKinsey & Co drew up loads of proposals that were accepted into the Health and Social Care bill. Senior Global Advisor to Oxford Analytica a business strategy company who have worked with healthcare giant GE healthcare. Gisela Stuart - MP for Birmingham, Egbaston - Speaking at seminars for Cumberlege Connections. (See Rosie Cooper). Her Cumberlege Connections work includes: Payment of £350 for taking part in workshop. Hours: 2 hrs. Payment of £900 for taking part in workshop in Winchester. Payment of £1,900 for NHS leadership programme. Hours: 2 days. (Registered 6 April 2012). Payment of £300 for parliamentary programme workshop. Hours: 2 hrs. (Registered 6 April 2012.
Alan Milburn, has left commons - then Health Secretary for the Labour party, was a consultant for Alliance Medical’s parent company. Alliance Medical runs diagnostic services for the NHS, including in Birmingham and Falkirk. UNISON reported that services were giving patients sub-optimal care, losing the NHS money because of below-capacity uptake, and pressurising hospitals into using private sector treatments. In 2008 his registered interests highlight: Member of Lloyds pharmacy's Healthcare Advisory panel paid in the region of £30,000. Also in 2008, a member of the European Advisory Board of Bridgepoint Capital Limited, the private equity firm which acquired Care UK, whose chairman John Nash bankrolled Andrew Lansley’s office just prior to the takeover. In the House of Lords some 37 Labour Lords are also involved with private healthcare companies and are equally likely to personally benefit from the privatisation of the NHS. Download a full list of all MPs benefiting from NHS privatisation here You can read the full details on these websites: Source: The Green Benches / Social Investigations / Daily Shame
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Alistair Darling - MP for Edinburgh South-West: 7 April 2011, He received a fee of £10,200 for addressing a dinner organised by Cinven, London. Hours: approx 6 hrs. On its website it states: ‘Cinven has been involved in European healthcare over a 20-year period and invests in market-leading, cash-generative companies.’ Cinven is a leading buyout firm, who bought 25 private hospitals from Bupa. Other UK investments include. Spire Healthcare, who run private healthcare hospitals, and whose clinical director Jean-Jacques de Gorter said the use of private sector would spiral as a result of Andrew Lansley’s reform proposals. General healthcare group, which runs healthcare services, and whose group includes: BMI healthcare. The other company is Générale de Santé who are France’s leading healthcare provider.