Private healthcare managers may be called on to turn around failing NHS Trusts

Health Secretary Alan Johnson yesterday announced controversial plans that could lead to entire NHS Trusts being run by the private sector.

The plans are part of the government's push to ensure rigorous standards of safety, cleanliness and financial managements nationwide, which also include measures to make it easier to dismiss managers or Trust directors without the need for large payoffs.

The plans would effectively allow for private sector managers to be brought in to turn around the fortunes of NHS Trusts seen to be failing. The BMA, UNISON and several MPs have already spoken out against the proposals which they see as undermining the values of the Health Service.

The BMA stated that "[we would] have grave concerns if the private sector took over NHS management. There is already an immense amount of talent in the NHS, in leadership and management, and this should be nurtured to ensure NHS Trusts do not find themselves in a position of failure in the first place." Ian Gibson, Labour MP for Norwich North and a critic of the proposals added: "The privatisation of the NHS is becoming less subtle. This is a blatant snub to the Health Service."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has enthusiastically supported these plans which he believes will improve public services by imposing stringent standards across the board. Health Minister Ben Bradshaw explained that "we've never before allowed the private sector to take over tyhe running of a whole hospital in the form of a franchise, which is one of the options. The private sector can bring different management skills, different techniques."

Currently, 20 NHS Trusts are regarded as "weak" for quality of services and 16 "financially challenged."

Andrew Billson-Page, from the Save our NHS Group, said: "It is actually quite chilling to hear ministers speak about franchises. While the measures to ensure management contracts are performance related might have some benefits, the short-term thinking behind the plans to allow private sector management to run the NHS beggars belief. The thinking behind it is seriously flawed...given that many "failing" Trusts have found themselves in deficit by historical accident and that there are often complex geographical, social and clinical reasons behind "poorly performing" NHS Trusts, solutions have to be more responsible and should involve some serious long-term planning." He added that the assumption that private sector management would succeed where others had failed was "facile and not evidence-based".

Mr Billson-Page also questioned the economic viability of the plans, pointing out that private sector involvement is likely to cost excessive amounts of money that would be more effectively spent on patient care or on responsible solutions to reversing "weak" performances.