30.10.12
Private pitfalls
PFI is definitely under the spotlight this week, as a damning PAC report suggests it has led to the need for government bailouts of over £1bn, and the consequences of such deals can be seen in the failing South London NHS Healthcare Trust.
Yet the new report implies that financial viability will only be achieved via a compromise of patient services; reduced access and longer waiting times.
The health sector is in agreement that services need to change, and there is wide acknowledgment that this will impact on patients. But does it necessarily have to be in a negative way?
Surely there is a way to provide quality services for patients in a more cost-effective way. This could involve looking to different types of funding model in the future – although private mergers and takeovers do not seem to be slowing down, with administrator Kershaw proposing such moves for South London.
Are we learning the lessons from the past? Can such huge bailouts be avoided in the future? The PAC report should come as vital reading in a time of extreme uncertainty.
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