Labour’s private sector healthcare ‘A poor value, false choice’ – Rogerson
North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson addressed a meeting organised by Keep Our NHS Public in Bude this Saturday, as public sector health professionals and NHS patients gathered to vent their anger at Labour's use of the private sector to maintain local health services.
The local MP told the group that he had no in principle objection to using the private sector, but only where it provided real choice for the patient and real value for the NHS.
Commenting after the meeting, Mr Rogerson said:
"It's been good to meet so many of the people that keep our health service running. It's no surprise that Ministers’ tendency to run to the private sector to maintain local services is causing real anger here.
"It's not that independent treatment centres are necessarily of poor quality – it's just that they get to pick and choose which patients they take. That leaves the NHS treating the most serious cases, while the private sector makes a quick buck on those with routine problems to solve.
"A real choice of hospital – and, more crucially, of appointment time – has to be good news for patients and the private sector may have a role to play in providing those services.
"I want to see the private sector operate on a level-playing field with public provision. Until and unless it does so, the Government is offering a false choice to patients and extremely poor value to the taxpayer."
