The NHS corporate takeover Bill: the fight is far from over
By Rajni Boddington - Just Treatment Patient Leader
Yesterday, the NHS corporate takeover Bill had its second reading in parliament. It passed this stage - with Conservative MPs voting for it in a final tally of 359 for and 218 against.
This dangerous Bill, if voted into law, would give private companies a seat on NHS decision-making boards, allowing them to have a say over patient care and how budgets are spent - this would have major repercussions for us as NHS patients. So yesterday’s vote was pretty grim for those of us campaigning for an NHS New Deal and to save the NHS from privatisation. From the outside, the government looks resolute - and they have a big majority. But this is just the start of the parliamentary process of this Bill, which will continue into the autumn. So while it’s easy to feel downbeat right now, there are reasons to be hopeful. Here are a few:
We know there are big misgivings about this Bill from within the Tory party. Even the new Health Secretary Sajid Javid didn’t want the Bill to go before parliament - a letter he wrote warned of “significant areas of contention” that needed to be resolved first. Colleagues of his such as Theresa May and Peter Aldous have voiced their concerns. How many of their counterparts are feeling the same? What’s going on behind the scenes within the party is likely much less of a united front than we are seeing in parliament - we can use this to our advantage.
If the recent past has taught us anything about Boris Johnson’s government, one certainly is that despite their majority, the government does buckle under pressure. From free school meals to lockdowns, Johnson’s last minute changes of heart have shown us that nothing is certain under this Conservative government.
Likewise, the recent by-election defeat for the Tories in Chesham and Amersham has shone a light on the government’s political vulnerability. Even with a strong majority, MPs care about the voice of the electorate - and they’re more likely to listen right now, given this recent wake up call.
Added to this, the campaign to stop the NHS corporate takeover bill is gathering momentum. Increasing numbers of organisations and high profile voices are speaking out against it - from the British Medical Association to many opposition MPs, and various other campaigning organisations such as We Own It, EveryDoctor and Keep our NHS Public. And we know that the British public are on our side - a new poll commissioned by We Own It has just found that 52% of the public oppose private companies sitting on NHS decision making boards, compared to just 28% who support it.
If the general public knew what was actually in this Bill, they’d be outraged. The Tory party have whitewashed it - claiming that the Bill will decrease privatisation in the NHS. They know how deeply people feel about protecting the NHS from privatisation - and what the repercussions will be if enough of us understand what this Bill will actually mean for our NHS. It’s our job to get that message out loud and clear, before too much damage is done.