“Patient choice? Always choose the NHS”

Dr Lucy Reynolds is an academic in health policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health (for biography, please see here.) In a wide-ranging interview with Jill Mountford, Dr. Reynolds explains in very clear language how English health policy has progressed in recent years, charting the progress of the current legislation enabling the NHS privatisation. However, Dr. Reynolds states clearly that the current developments in the NHS privatisation would have been virtually impossible but for the policy developments under New Labour from the mid 2000s. Dr Reynolds also explains how the idea of PFI was sold to the private sector and public in different ways, and has been an important step for this privatisation routemap.

Dr Reynolds’ analysis is crystal-clear. What has been frustrating is how senior journalists, including at the BBC, have “failed to understand” the process sufficiently to be able to describe it ‘for the public good’. It is extensively referenced, and also draws on findings and observations from other jurisdictions about “lessons learnt” about the organisation of their healthcare. She describes the recent section 75 Regulations (both the original one and as amended) as the “jet engine” for the “plane” of privatisation which was launched last year, but notes that nobody knew what the jet engine precisely was until relatively recently. Furthermore, Reynolds notes that the legislation sets up a competitive market blatantly rigged in the favour of private entities who can operate in the marketplace, and establishes the supporting evidence for that.

As you’ll see from the comments on this YouTube thread, the explanations have been very well received.

For some further explanations of aspects of this narrative, I have blogged on this website, as described here:

“Competition Regulations issued under Section 75 of the Health and Social Care Act (2012) will lock CCGs into arranging all purchasing through competitive markets”

my blogpost on 7 January 2013 here

“The privatisation of the NHS appears to be going to plan”

my blogpost on 3 January 2013 here

“Rainbow coalition warns about section 75 NHS regulations”

my blogpost on 27 February 2013 here

Further reading

“NHS Plc” by Prof Allyson Pollock

Review in the Guardian

“The plot against the NHS” by Prof Colin Leys and Stewart Player

Review in the Guardian