06.08.18
Almost £2bn of NHS contracts awarded to Virgin over past five years
Virgin healthcare has been awarded nearly £2bn worth of NHS contracts over the past five years, new analysis shows.
Reports by The Guardian highlight that Virgin now hold at least 400 contracts in the public sector, from dementia care for the elderly, to healthcare in prisons and immunisation in school programmes.
Areas receiving the most contracts include Bath and north-east Somerset, where there are 200 services provided across sectors worth £700m for Virgin. Other areas include a £36m contract to provide sexual health services in Teesside, and over £270m was awarded to services in the Birmingham area.
Other services include a contract to run GPs’ surgeries in Essex, and a healthcare including dentistry in a number of low-category prisons.
Sara Gorton, the head of health at the trade union Unison, told The Guardian: “The company has been so keen to get a foothold in healthcare, it’s even been prepared to go to court to win contracts, moves that have cost the NHS dearly.
“While the NHS remains dangerously short of funds, taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be wasted on these dangerous experiments in privatisation.”
In 2016 Virgin Care were winners of a contract worth £65m after being announced as the new community and urgent care provider by West Lancashire CCG.
A spokesman for Virgin Care said: “For more than 10 years we have been supporting the NHS and local authorities to deliver health and care services; we have saved the taxpayer millions and delivered the plans asked for by the NHS– 93% of people rating our services say they’d recommend them.
“We have not made a profit to date, investing all money in delivering and improving the services we run and supporting a free, efficient NHS.”
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