provider of NHS services would be held accountable to.
public sector service provider and Circle is a group of doctor owned organisations which is 50 per cent equity funded and run on a John Lewis style model.”
As part of the bidding process, NHS East of England has been involved in both stakeholder events and also a public consultation programme which has been in operation ever since 2008.
“We have put together an innovative stakeholder panel and all the bidders have thoroughly engaged with that panel. This has been a great experience, with the bidders coming up with some really innovative ideas after listening to the views and needs of stakeholders.”
One of the main arguments Nov/Dec 10
against letting private enterprises control NHS hospitals is that it is perceived that the quality of patient care could suffer because of the need to drive up the organisation’s profits through cutbacks. So why should patients believe that Hinchingbrooke would be any different?
“There is a clear set of NHS rules and regulations around quality which currently apply to the providers of all NHS services that will also apply to whoever wins the operating franchise at Hinchingbrooke. We are being absolutely clear about the fact that NHS standards, NHS prices, NHS terms and conditions will have to apply to the successful bidder and that they will be under the same regulation and inspection regime that any other
“Whilst this will enable us to maintain quality and standards, we will also drive up standards through the annual commissioning contracts with NHS Cambridgeshire. Let us also be clear that all of the bidders are proposing to turn Hinchingbrooke into an exemplar provider of NHS care through bringing national and international best practice into Hinchingbrooke.
“All of the bidders are totally committed to driving up quality but there will be regulatory safeguards in place to ensure that the quality of care is not compromised.”
Another important question is what will happen to NHS staff who are currently working at the hospital and whether their working conditions will be affected by the change over in management.
“Staff will remain in the NHS and will retain the same terms and conditions which currently apply to them so although they will be controlled by the
new operating franchisee, the current safeguards which apply to all other NHS staff will continue to apply to the staff at Hinchingbrooke as well.
“The staff have got nothing to fear and we have been involved in ongoing dialogue with staff representatives and the clinical body at Hinchingbrooke. I would say that the staff are excited about the prospect of a new management team coming in to run Hinchingbrooke, safe in the knowledge that they will not lose their NHS staff terms and conditions or pensions.”
Although there appears to a large number of safeguards in place to protect NHS standards, some people have suggested that this is simply part of a slow decline into full NHS privatisation. How does Dr Dunn feel about this?
“First of all this is not privatisation. Staff and assets remain in the NHS and it is a time limited franchise. Patients will continue to receive NHS services. There is no way that over the course of this franchise privatisation could be locked into a contract.”
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