@Martine 20.09 The NHS isn’t being privatised per se although it is true that private healthcare and services have been used extensively for 20+ years to cut the waiting times for surgery.  However with the huge unplanned expansion of our population and coupled with an ageing demographic needing medical care it is no wonder that the waiting lists remain very high.  Even though Wes Streeting is forever bigging himself up and crowing about how well he is doing on bringing the numbers down.   The info below is AI generated: The NHS has used private healthcare providers to some extent since its foundation in 1948, particularly in primary care (GPs, dentists, opticians, and pharmacies). However, the major expansion of using private options for acute hospital treatment for NHS patients began in the early 2000s under the Labour government.  Key Developments * 1948 (NHS inception): General practitioners (GPs), dentists, opticians, and pharmacists were established as independent contractors, essentially private businesses, whose services were funded by the NHS and free to patients at the point of use. * 1980s (Competitive Tendering): From the early 1980s, the Conservative government introduced compulsory competitive tendering for non-clinical support services like cleaning, catering, and laundry, opening these areas up to private companies. * 2000 (The NHS Plan): The Labour government's NHS Plan introduced the first significant use of private provision for medical services within hospitals to help increase capacity and cut waiting lists. * 2003 (ISTCs): Purpose-built and privately owned Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs) were introduced to provide NHS-funded elective (planned) surgery and diagnostic tests, marking the formal entry of private providers into core NHS clinical services. * 2005-2009 (Patient Choice): Policy changes progressively offered patients a choice of providers for elective procedures, including private hospitals, with the NHS paying a set fee (tariff) for the treatment. * 2012 (Health and Social Care Act): This Act further embedded competition by requiring Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to put many services out to tender, a process open to "any willing provider," including private firms.  The use of the private sector for NHS patients has continued to evolve and expand since, often in response to capacity issues and pressure on waiting lists.

Entire Thread

Topic	Date Posted	Posted By
Reform	11/01/26 11:21:00	Barbara Stevens
Re:Reform	11/01/26 11:29:00	Ivonne Holliday
Re:Reform	11/01/26 11:29:00	Michael Brigo
Reply	11/01/26 11:45:00	Michael Ixer
Re:Reply	11/01/26 12:39:00	Katrina Black
Re:Re:Reply	11/01/26 13:22:00	Lucille Grant
Reply	11/01/26 13:43:00	Sue Hammond
Re:Reply	11/01/26 13:46:00	Michael Brigo
Reply	11/01/26 14:09:00	Martine Guy
Re:Reply	11/01/26 14:24:00	David Ainsworth
Reply	11/01/26 14:43:00	Martine Guy
Reply	11/01/26 15:08:00	Martine Guy
Reply	11/01/26 16:51:00	Martine Guy
Re:Reply	11/01/26 19:30:00	Ivonne Holliday
Reply	11/01/26 20:09:00	Martine Guy
Re:Reply	11/01/26 21:12:00	Philippa Bond
Re:Reply	11/01/26 23:00:00	Sue Hammond
Reply	11/01/26 23:23:00	Martine Guy
Reply	11/01/26 23:47:00	Michael Ixer

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