It was revealed last week that in just two years over £21million has been taken as profit by private companies from the NHS in South Yorkshire. This means fewer NHS staff, like doctors and nurses. But private profits and competition have a wider impact.
People looking to make money don’t think about the most important thing in our national health service, which is caring. The care that happens when a GP talks to someone about their health and joins up the dots of different health problems. The care of a nurse who listens to what a patient is saying and becomes their advocate in a complicated system. The care of a worker who knows they might be the only human contact for someone isolated in their home. Profit gets in the way of this care. Competition gets in the way of this care.
The Green Party opposes the privatisation of health. This isn’t just because private profits drain the NHS while dodgy deals are made for our health data. It’s because focusing on the bottom line gets in the way of the caring relationships that are at the root of our health and happiness.
Good care happens when people from the top to the bottom of an organisation are clear the priority is people, not profit. Charities and private organisations can play an important role in the NHS but they need to be not-for-profit. Money should be reinvested in local staff, not handed out to distant shareholders. Let’s push back against privatisation and keep care at the heart of our health system.
