Parliament

Andrew Smith MP

"It is vitally important to safeguard the principles of our National Health Service. As well as campaigning on the damaging effects of the current NHS deficit in Oxfordshire, which I raised with the Secretary of State for Health on the floor of the House of Commons, a key priority right now is to turn down the proposal for the tendering of Primary Care Trust Commissioning.

Recent reports that a decision on this has been put off until a new PCT is in place is a small step forward, but it is not enough. I have called on the Secretary of State to turn down this proposal, which would undermine public accountability and add complexity – the last thing the NHS needs. I will continue to press for this to be turned down now, so that patients and staff locally can be confident that control of the local NHS is securely in public hands.

We also need to keep up the pressure to ensure that local district nurses, health visitors and support staff remain as core NHS employees. I will continue to campaign actively on this, working together with trade unions and concerned members of the public."

Local GP Helen Groom asked to give evidence at Health Select Committee on the proposed PCT change in Oxfordshire

At the Government’s Health Select Committee hearing on Thursday 3rd November, local Oxford GP, Helen Groom was asked to speak about the concerns of the Oxford PFI Alert Group [the group helped launch KEEP OUR NHS PUBLIC]. The Group had submitted evidence concerning the tendering out to the private sector for the management and leadership team for the proposed Oxfordshire PCT. Dr. Groom was allowed 15 minutes to give evidence and reply to questions.

To view the PFI Alert submission please go to ………. PFIAlert-parliament.pdf

Mr. Kevin Barron (Labour Rother Valley) chair of the group made it clear that Mr. Nick Relph, CEO of Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority had been invited to give evidence but had declined to attend.

After a brief resume of the submission Dr. Groom answered questions from the committee. Dr. Doug Naysmith (Labour Bristol North West) was very keen to find out where she felt the idea for tendering out had come from, why it might be happening in Oxfordshire and who was pushing the idea. Dr. Groom felt that given the close connections between Simon Stephens, the CEO of United Healthcare and No. 10, where he was formerly Tony Blair’s health advisor, the push behind the increasing privatisation of the NHS is coming from No. 10.

Ann Milton (Conservative Guildford) agreed and stated that she had also had discussions with private health care companies who are extremely keen to move into the health sector in the UK.

Richard Taylor (Independent Wyre Forest) was unhappy with the possible loss of involvement of clinicians within a larger PCT.

Paul Burstow ( Liberal Democrat Sutton and Cheam) expressed concern about the governance arrangements of the future Oxfordshire PCT. Dr. Groom was also very uneasy about the lack of clarity concerning who would be writing the tender, who would be interviewing and who would be appointing the new management team, given that the chair and board of the PCT will not be in place until March/April 2006 and the advert for the tender is being placed in the European Journal this month.

At the end of this part of the discussion Keith Barron, the chairman of the committee made it very clear that they were unhappy about Nick Relph’s decision not to attend the committee and about the letter he sent declining the invitation. Mr. Barron said “ It is our intention to hand this to the Minister and ask questions of this letter and its contents to the Minister when he comes to give evidence to the Committee next week. We will be pursuing many of the issues you have brought up in your short time here this morning”