Healthcare companies will use EU law to put NHS into privatised
headlock, says Unite
14 June 2011
Private healthcare companies will use European Union (EU) law to
transform their toehold in the NHS into a headlock, Unite, the
largest union in the country, said today (Tuesday, 14 June).
Unite, which has 100,000 members in the health service, said the
government’s warm words today (Tuesday) about taking on board the
main recommendations of yesterday’s Future Forum report could be
seriously undermined by EU law.
Unite said that Monitor, the regulatory body, which will now be
charged with holding the ring between patients’ interests and
private companies was ‘a cocktail of confusion’.
Unite national officer for health, Rachael Maskell said:
‘Monitor will be promoting choice, competition and collaboration -
all of which are contradictory aims. And now European law has been
thrown into this cocktail of confusion.’
‘At present, the private healthcare firms have a toehold of
about five per cent of the NHS - but these companies and their
slick lawyers will use EU law to gain a headlock on the NHS.’
The Future Forum report recommends keeping the controversial
provisions to enforce European competition law in the Health and
Social Care Bill – which will be the first time that this has been
applied to the NHS in UK law.
Rachael Maskell said: ‘Conservative ministers are anxious to
allow the private sector to take over the NHS, despite their
party’s long-running and deep antipathy to Brussels. Now they are
prepared to give the green light to EU competition law to shape and
carve up UK healthcare.’
‘It will be a fight to stop this domination by EU law before it
assaults the unique character of our NHS. But once EU law is
rampant, it will not be long before local care decisions are made
in far-off boardrooms. The idea that your GP will be in charge is a
fairy tale.’
‘The rich irony of this is that the right-wing Tories,
supporting Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s NHS privatisation,
hate Brussels; while the pro-European Liberal Democrats will find
the NHS privatised – and destroyed – by the very European ideal
that they have devoted their political lives to.’
‘The battle to save a universal, joined-up NHS, where the
patient, not profit, is the guiding principle is not lost and we
urge MPs to redouble their scrutiny of the legislation, when the
bill’s progress resumes through Parliament.’
Unite has said the bill should be scrapped and that a
commission of genuinely independent experts be set up to conduct a
proper review of what is needed for the long- term demands on the
NHS.
-ends-
Note to news editors:
The report’s recommendation goes even further than the original
bill in extending the application of EU competition law by bringing
in two new proposals - the so-called "right to provide and "right
to challenge".
For further information, please contact Unite communications
officer, Shaun Noble on 07768 693940
