The recent revelation that a proposed private mini-hospital in Catterick Garrison could syphon away at least £1 million a year from Friarage Hospital, is yet another example of the privatisation of the NHS by stealth under the Tories. This undemocratic Conservative administration, elected by just 26% of UK voters, has long had a policy of allowing private NHS providers to "cherry pick" easy to provide services, which undermines the feasibility of public hospitals like the Friarage.
Apparently, the plans for a £4 million extension to the Harewood Medical Practice (Northern Echo 2/11/15) was drawn up without other medical practitioners being aware of it. The Hambleton, Richmondshire & Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group (HRWCCG) is a privatised Tory invention to facilitate this widespread privatisation of the NHS. The expensive process of fragmenting the NHS into privatised bits has directly contributed to the funding crisis in the NHS, along with successive Governments' reluctance to train sufficient UK doctors and nurses to work in the NHS, preferring instead to recruit medical staff overseas and through expensive private agencies.
I urge supporters of the NHS to book themselves onto the next HRWCCG patients forum (held in a Tory supporter's offices in Leyburn) on 25th November by ringing 01609 767600 and telling these running dogs of capitalism what they can do with their privatisation of the NHS.
