Southend Councillor warns Labour Conference of dangers of NHS privatisation

A Southend Labour councillor, Cheryl Nevin, recently warned the Labour Party Conference in Manchester of the dangers of expanding the private sector within the NHS. In a prepared speech, she said “Recent CQC reports have shown Taxpayers are picking up the compensation bills for complications within private healthcare botched operations, often occurring at a much higher rate than in the NHS” and cited several examples where patients were left with permanent damage.

Cheryl told a reporter “David Cameron said that the NHS was safe in his hands, but 50% of NHS trusts are now projected to be in the red by March 2015, 7,000 nursing positions have been axed across the NHS, whilst our local Hospital at Southend struggles to find the nurses it requires to provide adequate care in the Accident & Emergency Department.” Cheryl said ” 70% of all new tenders are now going into private hands, at a time when CQC have highlighted the costs already being imposed on the taxpayer in a new report.”

She added, “The latest world bank figures show the UK spends 9% of GDP on health in comparison to the USA who spend 18% yet we get similar patient outcomes. If your partner has ever had a baby, if your child has visited A&E, if your elderly mother has ever had a long term medical condition then you have benefited from NHS services. Now is the time to stop further Privatisation of the NHS, to have a proper debate about what health actually costs.”