Who can we entrust to save our NHS, if not ourselves

An article in 'the Guardian' today exposes the truth about Labour peers supporting STPs and privatisation of the NHS. 

Thu 15 Mar 2018
In todays newspaper, Warner and Oldham said "The NHS England Five Year Forward view [the document all STPs are based on] and related initiatives are important steps in the right direction". Norman Warner and John Oldham

Norman Warner (Lord Warner) served as a Labour health minister from 2003-07 and now sits on the cross benches and Sir John Oldham is the adjunct professor for global health at Imperial College, and is the former chair of the Independent Commission on Whole Person Care.

Labour advisor 'Simon Stevens' the current boss of NHS England devised the Five year forward view, a document all STPs are based on. As with John Oldham's global health operations, Stevens was ex vice president of U.S firm Unitedhealth's Global operations wishing to implement profit making American healthcare models across Europe. Stevens' Five year view is to implement insurance-based Accountable Care Organisations (ACOs) here in England.

Labour peer' Lord Carter' also supports the STP models and recently visited Preston county hall in Lancashire meeting with health trusts and civic leaders debating his private care at home model.

Today however, Warner and Oldham suggested something that would shock many traditional  Labour supporters. They suggest the following principles should apply to sourcing new revenue for the NHS and care system.

■ creating an 'extra tax' to be paid by workers on zero hours contracts
■ increase in taxes for the elderly ensuring they 'pay their fair share'
■  Lifestyles costly to the NHS and care system should exact a premium (this means those with unforeseen circumstance such as being overweight due to medications would pay extra premiums)
■ REMOVING winter fuel allowance for some pensioners & increasing taxes for pensioners with money above the basic state pension (tax on hard earned savings)

Warner & Oldham claim the above is needed to generate a 'reliable source of income' for the NHS. Paying no attention at all to where money can be saved such as removing bureaucracy and the internal market Warner's party created, they instead plough on with the old chestnut that we all need to pay more and more....

In an attempt to justify these disgraceful attacks on working people, Warner and Oldham in their Guardian news article proceed to scaremonger the public with stories about what 'might' happen if their draconian principles were not implemented.

Ironically, the former Labour health minister Lord Warner, who has 'formed an unholy alliance with the rightwing thinktank Reform' ; supports upfront charges for the NHS. In the case of Reform, this would be a "suggested" £10 NHS "membership fee" per month. 

The article in today's Guardian is reminiscent of how many Labour MPs and Peers support and promote private companies or policies then leave to work for the private sector industry, i.e. the 'revolving door'. Warner is certainly in that category.

New Labour's 'Tony Blair' appointed Carter as a Labour peer in 2004.
Lord Carter co-founded private nursing home company 'Westminster Health Care' in 1985 with Martin Bradford. He's been lobbying for the private care-home sector to take on more patients from over-stretched NHS hospitals ever since Simon Stevens revealed the STP plans for England.

Carter was also previously president of Mckesson enterprise ltd international operations group (business portfolio holder), Mckesson specialise in orthopedic imaging/consultancy private sector work.

In 1985, Lord Carter founded Westminster Health Care which he built into a leading health care provider and subsequently sold in 1999. Carter is now a private investor and director of public and private companies in the fields of insurance, healthcare and information technology.

Previously many Labour politicians have made full use of the 'revolving door' between the private healthcare industry and government. Alan Milburn and Patricia Hewitt are among the ten previous health ministers who have taken lucrative consultancies with private health care companies.

If this is the view of Labour peers such as Lord Carter and Lord Warner (now a cross-bench peer), then what do Labour MPs think of all this support for changing the NHS into a private insurance-based American model?

Who can we entrust to save our NHS, if not ourselves?


Related Links

Warner & Oldham's Guardian news article

In 2006, Labour Peer Lord Warner supported a secret plan to privatise an entire tier of the NHS in England 

Both Warner and Carter claim NHS hospitals are draining money from elderly care.

NHS users should pay £10 a month, says former Labour health minister Lord Warner

A new report by former Health Minister, Lord Warner, recommends charging people to see their GP, charging people for overnight stays in hospital, or even charging everyone £10 a month for NHS services. 

Revolving door & the cross-party white paper

New Labour's White Paper, was it the blueprint for the STPs five year forward view?