MPs support call to protect the NHS
8th February 2010
Not for profit members of Unite, the largest union in the
country, have joined with their colleagues in the Unite health
sector to campaign to halt the outsourcing of NHS services.
Unite believes that ‘Third Sector’ organisations are being used
as a ‘Trojan Horse’ to privatise the NHS. Members of the Unite
parliamentary group of MPs are being urged to write to health
secretary, Andy Burnham, giving their support to the NHS as ‘the
preferred provider’ of health services.
There has been a drive to take health services out of the NHS,
with services being divided between a ‘diversity of providers’.
Karen Reay, Unite national officer for health, said: ”Neither
Unite’s health sector nor its not for profit members want the NHS
to be broken up, with services privatised and fragmented. We are
deeply concerned about the future impact on the quality of services
when they are broken up between competing organisations, rather
than a future of integrated, co-operative working.
”We are asking the Unite group of MPs to write to Andy Burnham
giving support to his policy of the NHS as the preferred
provider.’
Rachael Maskell, Unite’s national officer, not for profit, said:
”When the NHS was founded in 1948, it was recognised that the
role of charities was best served by ‘adding value’ to support
services - not actually delivering them, as this compromises their
ability to be advocates for improvement.”
Unite, which has approximately 100,000 members in the NHS and
60,000 working in the not for profit sector, is also concerned
about the increased pressures this will impose on already
financially stretched third sector organisations facing a funding
crisis.
Rachael Maskell said: ”Services will be completely vulnerable
with regards to their financial stability due to the short-term
contract culture. Lives could be put at risk in what could be an
unstable market place with ‘revolving door’ contracts every few
years. Charities are the Trojan Horse for privatisation.“
ENDS
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