Bosses defend sale of Staffordshire NHS cancer care

It was announced talks with bidders have started, with cancer and end-of-life care in the county set to be managed by private companies in deals worth a total of £1.2 billion.

At a Staffordshire County Council meeting yesterday, Andy Donald, who is chief officer for Stafford and Surrounds and Cannock Chase Clinical Commissioning Groups, reassured councillors that the process 'is not the first stage of privatising the NHS'.

Mr Donald was called to give an update report to the health select committee over the huge contracts and revealed to members that talks with bidders for cancer care had begun this week and discussions with interested parties for end-of-life services would begin by the end of April.

He said: "In November we announced the bidders who came through a pre-qualification questionnaire. This week we are starting competitive dialogue for cancer care and in April we will start competitive dialogue with end-of-life bidders.

"The programme is moving along, slightly slower than expected but we have spent time reflecting. Reflection is important, to ensure we have it absolutely right."

Talks with potential organisations, including The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Care Ltd, are expected to take a few months.

The tender process for the 10-year contracts worth £689 million and £535m should begin in the summer.

Mr Donald fiercely denied claims by critics who said the move would privatise the health service. He said: "The people who are unhappy with this are those who think this is the first stage of privatisation of the NHS. My argument would be there is already a number of private companies working in the NHS.

"This isn't about privatising cancer care. Our job is to get the best care for everybody and not to leave it as as a lottery. It is an experiment and there are risks involved, but there are major risks by not doing anything."

The contracts are due to start in April 2016, but Councillor Brian Gamble criticised the plans, questioning how the changes would help those suffering from cancer.

He said: "I am not in favour of the process and I have made that clear all along. How will fresh layers of bureaucracy actually help the person suffering at the end of their life?"

Mr Donald responded: "Over the next few years we will see how providers of cancer care will work better together. It will be the basic stuff that individuals should expect to see, so they don't have to explain their condition to every new person they see, so records are in the right place. It is more about personal planning."