North East doctors worry more privatisation is on the way

North East doctors say they have "massive concerns" that new plans will open the door to having more privatisation of the NHS.

The British Medical Association (BMA) say the latest sustainability and transformation plan for NHS trusts in our region will bring significant cuts - and is being pushed through under the radar.

While the doctors say they support the need for integration between hospitals, GP surgeries and social services, they're worried about the lack of consultation with doctors and the public, who they say must be involved before these changes go ahead.

They are set to meet with NHS England to discuss what safeguards will be in place to ensure these plans don't lead to more private providers.

Dr George Rae, Chairman of the BMA North East, said:

"The majority of doctors in the North East feel that we must have a publicly funded, and publicly delivered National Health Service.

"When you're in the NHS its not about making profits - if you do make a surplus, where that surplus goes is back into patient care, back into more services for patients.

"If it was a private company which took a contract on and then found it wasn't profitable and wanted to relinquish the contract, then undoubtedly that would cause problems."

Mark Adams, Clinical Commissioning Group Chief Officer said:

“STPs are a way of bringing organisations together so that they are better placed to respond to local challenges. This includes preventing ill health, reducing A&E attendances and emergency admissions, and addressing variations in quality. They are a useful way to consider service priorities and think about local needs, without being constrained by the shape of individual organisations providing the services.

“Any significant changes made to health care in the region through the STPs will be subject to full statutory consultation under the Health and Social care Act and changes will only be made in the best interests of patients.

“At this stage, it is too soon to say what other changes may be proposed in future.

“Our area’s STP outlines our overall vision for the future and building on a number of initiatives that are already working to improve delivery of services and make the best use of the resources in parts of the area.

“That work is clearly focused on ensuring that we continue to improve the health and wellbeing of our public and patients while in turn continue to improve the quality of services that we provide. To achieve this we are focused on a range of areas that include developing our approaches to prevention as well as the continued development of community based services. We are also focusing on how we transform our hospital based services through collaborative working.”