Privatisation halted

Gloucestershire NHS campaigners have been celebrating victory as Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust has announced that the county’s eight community hospitals and health services (including 3,000 nurses and other health workers) will remain in the NHS — reversing an earlier decision to outsource services.

The transfer was halted earlier this year after a High Court challenge by 76-year old Michael Lloyd of Stroud which forced the Primary Care Trust to go back to the drawing board.

On 15 October, the board of NHS Gloucestershire agreed instead to create a new standalone NHS Trust — and to reject the alternative option of putting health services out to tender, open to private sector takeover bids. The decision also means that the hospital buildings will stay in the NHS rather than be transferred to a new company, PropCo, and staff will not be forced into the South West Pay Cartel.

Campaigners said it shows that outsourcing can be halted, even late in the day, if there is enough political will.

http://falseeconomy.org.uk/blog/how-gloucestershire-campaigners-stopped-nhs-privatisation

http://falseeconomy.org.uk/files/campaignguide03.pdf