Letter

Does the private sector help the NHS?

Dear healthmatters—I was interested to read Alex Campbell’s review of my book Primary Health Care and the Private Sector in issue 34.

One point raised by your reviewer which must be queried is that there is no evidence to support the ‘debatable assertion’ that the involvement of the private sector is to provide services that either could not be sourced by the NHS or which can be provided more cost-effectively by a private company’.

In my view, the involvement of BT, among others, demonstrates this assertion perfectly. The NHS never has been, nor should be, an expert in the provision of telecommunications. Similarly, the involvement of a private company in the development of primary care premises provided necessary expertise and saved NHS staff valuable time in negotiations and planning.

Your reviewer also highlighted the situation of Healthcall which is now facing competition from the NHS through GP co-ops and NHS Direct. I feel this shows how the NHS has benefited from the role of private deputising services in shaping the provision of primary care services. Contestability within and outside the NHS can only benefit patients in the long term.