The PMI industry has accused the Government of overlooking the role of the private sector in its pla...
The PMI industry has accused the Government of overlooking the role of the private sector in its plans to modernise the NHS.
Alan Milburn, Secretary of State for Health, described the proposed reforms as the "most fundamental and far-reaching programme in the history of the NHS".
He said: "From the state of the wards to the doctor's contracts, not one issue has been ducked. By being honest in our analysis of the problems, we have been able to produce the most radical of reforms."
The programme focuses on an investment in 7,000 extra beds, 7,500 additional consultants and 20,000 more nurses. But it is also promising more patient protection - for example, by 2002 if an operation is cancelled on the day of surgery for non-clinical reasons the hospital will have to reschedule within 28 days.
A reduction in waiting times has also been promised. By the end of 2005, the maximum waiting time will be three months for outpatient treatment and six months for inpatient.
The public-private partnership will also be furthered through an agreement that will allow the NHS to buy in private beds at times when NHS hospitals reach maximum capacity.
But Robin Payne, business development manager at Exeter Healthcare, said that while he welcomed any improvements to the NHS, the plan has overlooked the private sector.
He said: "The Government has missed the point that the private sector can be much more than a source of additional beds when NHS hospitals are overloaded."
He added that the mix of public and privately funded healthcare has worked well in Europe.
David Ashdown, communications director at WPA, added that further partnerships were inevitable. The two sectors will eventually work side by side and in time healthcare provision will become similar to that in the US, he said.
"Many companies are now prepared to pay for PMI for their staff. If more companies were encouraged to offer PMI we could end up with a situation where employers are responsible for the healthcare of the bulk of the working population."
