Outsourcing By The Nhs

[237SJ]

How long have the NHS been outsourcing diagnostic scanning etc? I went for an ultrasound scan today (via the NHS). I only booked it last week and an appointment was available when it suited me and the service was excellent. It was at a private place in Waterloo. I guess it makes sense that private companies incur the costs of purchasing and maintaining equipment which is in short supply within the NHS and are able to take up the slack. I was just wondering how long this has been going on because I haven`t heard of it before.

[woofgang]

At least 4 years where I live

[ABerrant]

Since 2004.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3849189.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4278569.stm

[jno]

ah, is that InHealth? I'm going there in a couple of weeks.

[237SJ]

Yes it was jno. Are you going to the Waterloo one? I had a choice of a couple around here but Waterloo could give me availability all day today. I was quite impressed.

[askyourgran]

I had a lump removed from my shoulder last year, I was given a choice betweem 2 private hospitals and two walk in clinics. I chose one of the private hospitals mainly because the nearest walk in clinic had treated a patient earlier who died during a routine op.(which scared me stiff). The other walk in clinic was further to travel.
My private treatment was superb. The coffee and smoked salmon sandwhich was the best I've had in ages. Outsourcing has been going on for at least three years as far as I know.

[Old_Geezer]

If a large player in the business one should be able to be using it so much there is no benefit to outsourcing. If not, they are managing it all wrong.

[woofgang]

OG I didn't understand a word of your post. Individually i know all the words, together??????

[boxtops]

It's been going on for at least a couple of years in this area, 237. Our local private hospitals are frequently commissioned to deliver NHS-funded care where the NHS no longer has capacity to do it. People go in for an NHS operation and find themselves in a suite in the private wing. Same clinicians look after them often, but the NHS pays for it.

[pixie373]

I think, change the first word to "in"

[boxtops]

OG - if the NHS has no capacity and the private sector can offer a particular service at a competitive price, that's the way it's going. Any Willing Provider can tender for any work in the NHS these days.

[Peter Pedant]

Depends what the work load is.

The issues are .. . of quality control.

If they get it right - yippee !

However if the outsourcer gets it negligently wrong ... you have no come back. well OK you have a case against the outsourcer who may well have passed on by the time you find it worng

[boxtops]

PP? The contract is with the NHS for e.g. your operation, it's the NHS who outsources the work, and the private provider has to work to the spec provided by the NHS. If it went wrong, I know where I'd direct my claim....

[woofgang]

I know a bit about this as I was peripherally involved with planning to outsource some hip replacement ops mote than 10 years ago. The patient has a "contract" with the NHS provider. The NHS department sets up a contract with the private provider and specifies a minimum of the same level of clinical care. If anything goes wrong, its the same as if it had gone wrong in an NHS facility so far as the patient is concerned.

[jno]

yes, I chose Waterloo, the others had a longer waiting list and weren't next door to railway stations.

[Canary42]

So NHS funds are being used to line shareholders' pockets - I'm sure that's not what Beveridge intended.

[baza]

last week I had an optical type consultation at my local private hospital, NHS picked up the bill.

[Old_Geezer]

The NHS ought not run out of capacity for any of its prime functions. It should have sufficient slack without a large % of time being idle. It's a big organisation, it should be self reliant.

[woofgang]

what do you base that on OG?

[Peter Pedant]

boxtops.... you can direct your claim to anyone - including the Pope.

This has previously been an issue. - I seem to remember the wrong-sided knee was put in, in by a firm set up solely to do perform a time-limited contract....

and I am also sure a hospital had to review 10 000 x rays after quality issues had been raised....