White paper signals more NHS privatisation and less stability

UNISON, the UK’s largest public service union, today slammed health plans set out in the government white paper saying they will plunge the NHS into chaos.

Karen Jennings, UNISON Head of Health, said:

“Far from liberating the NHS, these proposals will tie it up in knots for years to come – they are a recipe for more privatisation and less stability.

“NHS staff will feel badly let down by plans to undermine national pay bargaining.

In a race to do this, the Government wants employers to lead negotiations on new contracts resulting in a two-tier workforce within Trusts and anomalies across the NHS.

“If the NHS is to be more efficient it needs to have stability. People in fear of their jobs, or how they are going to be able to deliver services, cannot be expected to make informed or rational decisions. This is no way to take patients or staff with you.

“There are just too many contradictions e.g. cutting back on bureaucracy and doing away with PCTs and SHAs, but allowing the proliferation of GP consortia.

"Handing over £80bn to untried, untested and probably private sector led consortia, is reckless. How will they be held accountable for that money?

“Accelerating the approval of Foundation Trusts means that managers will be concentrating on the business of preparing for that, rather than on patient care.

We must learn the lessons from recent disasters such as Mid Staffs. “UNISON will be seeking every opportunity to respond to the white paper in a thorough and thoughtful manner.

"We will be collaborating and co-operating with other like-minded organisations to challenge its most damaging aspects.”