Is this really about our health?
Much fuss is made in the public domain about saving the NHS from privatisation but we need to wake up to the reality that the NHS has already been privatised. Public health services have slowly and stealthily been transferred to private companies over a number of years and this clandestine shift puts our lives at considerable risk. Profit and cost-cutting take priority over care of patients and our welfare is being sacrificed to enrich global corporations.
The NHS was born out of the awareness that taking care of the health of citizens should be a governmental responsibility. The Beveridge Report of 1942 identified ill health as one of the ‘five giants’ blighting the nation and called for a coherent plan for widespread reform. The Conservative government of the time were not keen on Beveridge’s proposals but the idea was very popular with the public, and when Clement Attlee’s Labour Party took the reins in 1945, the wheels were set in motion to implement a national health service funded by general taxation.
The NHS constitution states that services should be available to everyone, free of charge at the point of delivery, and that provision should be based on clinical need, rather than an ability to pay. There were no market forces at inception and the whole system was managed directly by a hierarchy of NHS bodies. Our beloved organisation was permanently destroyed in 2012 when Andrew Lansley implemented the Health and Social Care Act, which required NHS services to be tendered on the open market.
Today, hospitals are being managed by investment companies, leading to profit-oriented private providers that lack the same level of scrutiny as the NHS. This results in preventable deaths for many individuals. GP practices are functioning as small businesses, requiring them to effectively handle and optimise complex revenue sources. Incentives for medications and services, along with targets and key performance indicators, often overshadow patient satisfaction. Non-medically trained receptionists serve as gatekeepers, triaging patients over the phone. Difficulty in securing appointments with doctors and a decrease in referrals leave the sick feeling frustrated, anxious, and neglected. Missed diagnoses and lengthy waiting lists contribute to the deterioration of health conditions.
Sir Simon Stevens, the ex-Chief Executive of NHS England, was acquainted with Boris Johnson during their time at university. It was David Cameron, also an Oxford alumnus, who selected Stevens for his previous role in 2014. After serving at the NHS for several years, Stevens moved to the United States to join UnitedHealth, the world's largest private health insurance company. Upon his return a decade later, his reforms appeared to prioritise cost-saving over the obligation of care or health preservation.
Critics say the NHS has been deliberately run into the ground to justify privatisation measures and this is evidenced by understaffed hospitals with insufficient resources and exhausted workers. Staff absence due to mental health reasons costs the NHS £500 million a year and has seen a rise of 23% in the last five years (Laura Hyde Foundation). Doctors and nurses are taking their lives due to stress and trauma. Those who work hard to care for us at our most vulnerable moments are not given appropriate support themselves. It is unacceptable and unsustainable.
But not everyone is doing badly – some are doing very well. Serco, one of the main NHS contractors, saw profits in excess of £160 million in 2020, even though their much maligned test and trace system was disastrous: it cost the taxpayer £108 million and was little more than a grand waste of money. Public Health England approached Serco in January 2020 to discuss pandemic preparedness and the contract was not put out to tender as it should have been.
Rupert Soames, the CEO of Serco, is the brother of former Conservative MP Nicholas Soames, and they are both grandsons of Winston Churchill. Jupiter Asset Management, the main shareholder in Serco, is linked to Edward Bonham-Carter, a director who is part of a prominent family and also serves on the board of ITV. Upon closer examination, it becomes evident that many individuals who have profited during the pandemic are intertwined through political affiliations, wealth, and lineage.
Contracts were granted to Serco and KPMG for the construction and staffing of the Nightingale hospitals, which saw minimal usage due to insufficient medical personnel. The facilities were put on standby for potential future use, and one was repurposed as a mass vaccination centre. Limited public information is accessible about these hospitals, and the government has not been held responsible for the significant funds expended and squandered.
Ayanda Capital is another multinational corporation that benefited from the pandemic. Despite lacking relevant experience, the company secured a £252 million contract for PPE. The face masks supplied by Ayanda did not meet official standards and were deemed ineffective upon examination. Andrew Mills, a senior adviser at Ayanda, also holds a position as an adviser to the UK Board of Trade.
Uniserve, a major player in the logistics industry, secured contracts totalling £186 million. Iain Liddell, the company's founder, holds director positions in 50 companies and served as a speaker for the lobby group Prosperity UK, established by Lord Hill, a former European Commissioner, and Sir Paul Marshall, a supporter of Brexit who contributed to Gove and Johnson's Brexit campaign. Once again, the contract was awarded without a competitive tender process and the face masks purchased were significantly overpriced at 87p compared to the market rate of 51p.
Dido Harding was appointed leader of NHS Test and Trace and allocated £1,000 per day of public funds to 900 Deloitte consultants. She has familial ties to the political sphere, with her father holding a Lord title and her husband being John Penrose, an active Conservative MP. In 2014, David Cameron granted Harding a life peerage, and she was later named the interim chair of Public Health England (which became the National Institute for Health Protection and is now The UK Health Security Agency).
Examining the intricate network of wealth and privilege, it is difficult to trust that these individuals who desire money and influence truly prioritise our well-being. As they accumulate their fortunes, the rest of us struggle financially, facing worsening health conditions without any prospect of a solution.
Update: 21st February 2021 - Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary was found guilty in the High Court for failing to declare how contracts were sourced and how public money was spent.
(c) Louize Small/One Little Warrior, January 2021.
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Cover photo courtesy of Nick Osborn.
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