Newpaper Report of Hillingdon Health Service Privatisation Plan

A report appeared in yesterday’s national press that Hillingdon PCT was considering privatising virtually all of its services, reducing its staff from 300 to 30.

This proposal is aimed at tackling the PCT’s cumulated budget deficit of approaching £50 million.

This flies in the face of assurances we have been given as a community at our local community conference in December and the assurances we were given as local MPs in recent meetings with the Chief Executive of Hillingdon’s PCT.

I am hoping that this report is inaccurate.

We have seen what privatisation has meant in other public services. Often privatisation has resulted in cuts in staff numbers, wages and conditions, eventual cuts in services and has allowed private companies to profiteer from our public services. 

I have written to the new Chief Executive of Hillingdon PCT to express my shock at these proposals and I have asked for a meeting with him as a matter of urgency.

I have also contacted the local trade unions to meet with the representatives of local health workers as I fear for their jobs and our services if this plan is implemented.

If I find that there is any truth in these proposals I will bring local residents and health workers together to press the PCT to draw back from this disastrous plan.

In the week when the Public Accounts Committee’s report exposed the mess made over the proposed move of Harefield to the Paddington Hospital site using the Private Finance Initiative, you would have thought they had learnt their lessons over privatisation.

submitted by John on 02 Feb 2007 at 12:45