Wes Streeting has announced major changes, to the NHS this morning which are nothing new and simply mean more of the same for patients and a big increase in the private healthcare sector run by US Healthcare companies such as United Health and Circle Health.
Whilst Starmer and Streeting make announcements which hide the true aim of transferring healthcare to the private sector, they fail to tell the public that all these new initiative will be delivered and owned by private sector and private equity companies which will result in a huge squeeze on the existing NHS budget as private companies charge an in-built 10% profit ratio, thereby increasing costs to the NHS.
There is no doubt that the aim is to eventually create a privately run, for profit healthcare system mirroring that of the US. Indeed, the 42 Integrated Care Systems created by Sir Simon Stevens ex-CEO of United Health, the biggest US private Healthcare company; are simply American Accountable Care Organisations by another name.
Furthermore, the staffing and training crisis in the NHS will be made much worse, because majority of private healthcare companies given contracts by NHS England, then transfer the existing NHS staff delivering those services; to the private company!
This means they effectively benefit from fully trained staff being transferred to them, in a situation where the private sector is known not to be able to train its own people to the NHS level. This leads to poor healthcare treatment, which then the NHS has to rectify as there is no legally enforceable way to make private healthcare providers put right the damage their failings course.
In a press release, Streeting announced this morning:
- An upgraded NHS App will enable patients to choose providers, book appointments in more settings and receive test results, all in one place
- Proposals are part of the Elective Reform Plan, setting out proposals to cut waiting lists and reduce waiting times to 18 weeks
- Greater choice and control for patients will sit at heart of reforms, as government delivers on its Plan for Change to rebuild NHS
- It will establish minimum standards patients should expect as they wait for care
His press release reads as if all NHS waiting lists will be sorted, with local surgical hubs treating patients, but no mention of how their post-operation treatment will be delivered.
Indeed, the aim is to in fact deny hospital healthcare, just as in the US, returning patients to their homes and dependent upon local community services, majority of which will be privately run. The impact upon patients can be seen by the state of Mental Health Community services, and by Social Care - both mostly run by private providers!
Here is the Government's press release in full:
A revolutionised NHS App is among a raft of proposals aimed at giving patients greater power over how and when they receive elective treatment, as the government sets out its roadmap to cutting waiting times as confirmed in the Plan for Change.
Currently, fewer than a quarter of patients recall being offered a choice of hospital for their treatment. Patients have a legal right to choose their provider and the government wants to give them more control over their own care.
Under measures in the forthcoming Elective Reform Plan, patients will be offered a wider choice of providers and the process of booking treatments and appointments will be made as smooth, supportive and convenient as possible.
Planned NHS App upgrades will enable patients requiring non-emergency elective treatment to:
- View and manage appointments at a time and place that is convenient to them, reducing missed appointments, which are costly to the NHS – in 2023/24, there were 8 million missed appointments in elective care
- Choose from a wide range of providers, including in the independent sector
- Book diagnostic tests through the NHS App at convenient locations, such as a Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) in a local shopping centre
- Receive test results quickly through the App before choosing the next step – whether a remote consultation or surgery – at a convenient time and location
As a first step, by March 2025, patients at over 85% of acute trusts will be able to view appointment information via the NHS App.
Patients will also be able to contact their treatment provider at their convenience, and receive clear information and regular updates, including on how long they are likely to wait for their appointment.
Currently, most patients receive test results through a phone call from a clinician, or a letter with either the result or instructions to book an appointment to discuss them further. This can be a significant time after the diagnostics took place. Enabling patients to receive test results quickly through the App will help address these inefficiencies in the process.
The proposals are part of the elective reform plan, set to be announced this week, which sets out how the government and NHS will deliver on its Plan for Change to slash the waiting list and cut waiting times to 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament.
The plan marks the start of a new era for the health service that will put patients in the driving seat and in control of their own care.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting said:
"If the wealthy can choose where and when they are treated, then working class patients should be able to as well, and this government will give them that choice.
Our plan will reform the NHS, so patients are fully informed every step of the way through their care, they are given proper choice to go to a different provider for a shorter wait, and put in control of their own healthcare.
This government’s reform agenda will take the NHS from a one size fits all, top down, ‘like it or lump it’ service, to a modern service that puts patients in the driving seat and treats them on time – delivering on our Plan for Change to drive a decade of national renewal.
By bringing our analogue NHS into the digital age, we will cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks and give working class patients the same choice, control, and convenience as the wealthy receive.
The NHS currently lags behind in digital communications, with just 8% of bookings after a referral being made via the NHS App or the Manage Your Referral website. The proposals will drive up this figure by making the NHS App and Manage Your Referral site the default route for patients to chooser their provider, or decide not to make that choice themselves."
He added, as if this is the panacea to all NHS problems for patients:
"
Greater choice will be available so people can take control of their health, with strengthened communications to patients through the App, making them aware of the options available to them.
More widely, the plan establishes minimum standards patients should expect - giving them more power over decision-making and what they can expect to be able to do:
- Choose how they receive follow-ups for care, whether this be digitally or in-person
- Receive a shortlist of providers to choose from, have the option to choose an appointment that suits them, and the receive information on how to change their appointment
- Decide whether a follow-up appointment is necessary or whether it is more beneficial to continue recovering at home
- Have the ability to contact their provider for any necessary follow-up, rather than being called back at intervals that don’t suit their circumstances
- Get clear communications that meet their needs throughout their time on the waiting list – including to check whether they still want to be on the list."
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said:
"NHS staff are providing record levels of elective care but with too many patients waiting, we know we need to reform further and faster so we can take our progress on the backlog to the next level.
That is why as part of the Elective Reform Plan we will fully harness the potential of the NHS app, giving patients more information, choice and control over their care while freeing up the time of our staff so they can work more productively too.
Using technology to revolutionise access to NHS care, alongside offering more availability of tests, check and scans closer to people’s homes will help us tackle waiting times and put patients in the driving seat of elective care.
Measures to improve two-way communication between patients and clinicians, as well as making better use of AI to predict missed appointments, could also save an additional one million missed appointments.
Missed appointments add significant delay to patients receiving care, increasing pressures on elective services and potentially other areas of the health service. Sending reminders has been shown to reduce missed appointments by up to 80 per cent, and Trusts report better results when communication is two-way with the patient.
Work is underway to pilot AI services that identify patients more likely to miss appointments and provide support, such as free transport to those most in need.
And accessible and alternative language, as well as tailored communications will be made available, particularly in areas of highest inequalities, to ensure all patients have the information they need to take control of their care.
The plan puts the patient back at the heart, meaning they can receive care that best suits them and their individual needs, by empowering to take more control over when, where and how they will be treated.
The specifics of her statement should not go misunderstood. For the word 'control', read 'responsibility'. For as in the US system, patients are being made solely responsible for their individual health, blaming lifestyles for bad health, allowing the Government to claim that ill-health is a lifestyle choice, as they do in the US; and the use of digital services to provide for patient 'self-diagnostics' and to replace direct contact with GPs. clinical staff and to help cut further the cost of the NHS in terms of training and employment of clinicians.
But whilst all of this in the above 'sound-bites' may fool many, the reality is just how is it going to ensure the healthcare required once this new way of accessing the NHS is embedded? - The patient, their family, and the local private sector!
Source: Gov.UK
See also:
Government Makes Deal To Transfer NHS Services To Private Sector
NHS Privatisation News Archive
