Private company to run hospital- first in the UK to be run by a private company.

BBC News ^ | May 9, 2003

[jrushing]

A West Midlands hospital is to become the first in the UK to be run by a private company.

The final two bidders for the contract to manage Good Hope Hospital, in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, are both private companies.

Management of the hospital was put out to franchise after it dropped from a three-star rating to no stars at all.

Since then more than £20m of public investment has been pledged, but the final two bidders to provide a new chief executive for the hospital are from private companies.

Worrying move One of the bidders, Secta, has a £9m stake in a new hospital in Coventry. The other is Canadian company Interhealth, which runs a new hospital in Abu Dhabi.

Ian McIvett, from Unison, said the move was worrying. "We're not talking about a little bit of stuff being contracted out. "We're talking about the private sector running a major hospital in Britain's second city. "That is an extremely worrying move."

A spokeswoman from Good Hope Hospital said: "We are working with health partners and we believe this will benefit the hospital."

[jrushing]

Looks like all is not well in the land of free Health Care. Extremely Worrying.

[Maigrey]

What's your take on this?

[BlessedBeGod]

Wow. They'll finally be getting some decent health care!

[Dog Gone]

Horrors! The private sector is incapable of doing anything right!

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Bump.

[Atchafalaya]

Three years ago I was asked by Smith Cline to go over to London to help them with installing a laboratory computer program at West Middlesex Hospital. The National Health service had contracted out the lab to Smith Cline; seems this is an extension of that. By the way, the hospital was so old it was ridiculous.

[ewing]

democracy is speading!

[try phecta tom]

I'm deeply saddened

[Destro]

So if you can't pay you won't be treated?

[Prodigal Son]

I'm interested how they will handle the doctors/nurses. Will the doctors negotiate for salary or will they still be paid via the NHS? Will the nurses still have protected break times (and other labour issues)?

I'm curious because my wife's a doctor in the NHS system.

[Aric2000]

Oh no, not PRIVATE health care.

You might actually get treated before you die?

You might actually get emergency surgery immediately, like it was an emergency or something?

You might actually go into an emergency room and they will treat it like an emergency?

YOu might actually be treated like a human being and not a number on a list?

You might actually be treated after they know what is actually wrong with you?

You might actually survive you visit to the hospital?

If you have cancer, you might actually be treated while it is still curable?

You might actually have a choice?

Man, say it ain't so!!

[katz]

Does that mean that they won't be coming to the States for their healthcare?