THE GMB trade union is calling on members and the community to join the lobby of the Clinical Commissioning Group in Cambridge from 1pm on Tuesday 7th January 2014 and send a message to ‘Stop the NHS Sell-Off in Cambridgeshire’.
The lobby is in response to the announcement by Cambridgeshire Community Services (CCS) NHS Trust that it has entered into a new partnership with privateers Optum in the bid for the adult and older people’s service contract currently put out to tender by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) contract which is worth up to £1billion was put out to tender in April 2013 by the newly formed Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group following its failure to attain Foundation Trust status.
Optum is the new name for United Health UK, which had to be renamed after posting losses for the 11th consecutive year and faced being wound up by their American parent company.
Steve Sweeney, GMB Regional Organiser said: ‘This process becomes more farcical by the day.
‘The rebranding of United Health UK followed on from it making a £8.2million loss and a 27% fall in turnover, the 11th loss-making year in a row.
‘This is hardly the sort of organisation that can provide stability, and alarm bells are ringing.
‘The GMB has said since day one that this bid could be a watershed moment for the NHS, with privatisation on a staggering scale.
‘The GMB have called for the process to be halted and this dangerous experiment put to an end.
‘Why CCS NHS Trust sees Optum as a viable partner is beyond me.
‘The GMB is carrying on the fight to defend NHS services in Cambridgeshire and across the country as the Tory policy of breaking up the NHS is starting to bite.’
Unison and Unite have also expressed concerns about the planned sell-off.
Unison said earlier this month, that the proposed sell-off of nearly £1bn worth of services has provoked intense criticism from around the county and ‘prompted experts in the health arena to warn the CCG that they risk using Cambridgeshire NHS patients as guinea pigs in this bizarre experiment in privatisation’.
Earlier this year, Unite warned against a ‘mass sell-off of services, such as health visiting and care for the elderly’.
Unite head of health, Rachael Maskell said: ‘This appears to be privatisation of the NHS by stealth against the wishes of local people, and much of the responsibility for this lies with the former health secretary Andrew Lansley, MP for South Cambridgeshire.
‘Within five years, the NHS will be unrecognisable as profit takes pole position over patient care.
‘Privatisation does not work as witnessed by the private company Circle which runs Hinchingbrooke hospital. Circle’s loss was £29m last year and it is now embarking on a programme of cuts.’
