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Private Sector (NHS)

I, too, congratulate the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr. Jones) on his forensic exposure of so much that is wrong with the Government's rush into the extra use of the private sector. I shall speak for a few minutes on the importance of the level playing field, which has been mentioned many times already. Back in the 1980s, when domestic services were privatised, the staff in my hospital were persuaded to put in a bid. It was a level playing field and the staff won. On a level playing field, I believe that the best of the NHS could win every time. I want to draw to the attention of the House some of the snags of the independent sector treatment centres, in addition to excess cost, which has already been mentioned. Those issues have been raised with me by the previous president of the British Orthopaedic Association. Some of those concerns were addressed in my Adjournment debate in June, but many of them were not. I shall speak first about accreditation. Accreditation in some countries in Europe is not of the same standard as that in the UK, where surgeons are accredited to have full responsibility. Consultant appointments under the NHS are made by committees with Royal College and university representatives and, if there is no suitable appointee, no appointment is made. Professional recruitment agencies, when recruiting for the independent sector treatment centres, virtually have to make an appointment, and they seek surgeons from countries where they may be paid a mere £10,000. The attraction of the UK is that surgeons can earn £70,000, and so we are robbing other countries. 19 Oct 2005 : Column 283WH There are still no specific arrangements for the handling of complications. Should they be handled by the NHS? Who will deal with complications that occur in the independent treatment centres? In January, the British Orthopaedic Association sent a large dossier to the Department of Health, raising problems of process. That has been partially answered. More recently, it has sent a more important dossier of patient complaints about the independent sector treatment centres, but as yet has had no response. The major issues of training and tariffs have been mentioned. I understand that some specialist hospitals fear that they could lose their training recognition if there are reductions in training opportunities, The Government claim that independent sector treatment centres are largely responsible for the improvement in waiting lists. That claim must be challenged. I have tabled a parliamentary question to try to confirm what I was told by an ophthalmic surgeon just a few days ago: that in 2003–04 the NHS performed more than 300,000 cataract operations, due to huge efforts from NHS doctors and nurses. The mobile independent sector ophthalmic provider, since it started about two years ago, has undertaken between 10,000 and 14,000 cataract operations. It has not really had the chance to make that much difference. I believe that, if there were a level playing field and it came down to competition, the NHS could compete. However, I am passionately opposed to any form of competition in health care, and to the purchaser-provider split, which I believe did a vast amount of damage. I am encouraged that so much resistance is being demonstrated this afternoon to the Government's rush to privatisation, which I think would be a disaster.