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1.2m protest against private involvement in NHS

12/06/2008

The prime minister is to be given a petition signed by over one million people today protesting against private companies' involvement in the NHS.

Organised by the British Medical Association (BMA), the petition calls for the government to support existing GP practices and urges it to shelve plans for large commercial companies to become involved in primary care in England.

The BMA said the signatures, gathered over a three-week period, show the large public concern about the future of general practice.

Fears have been raised that the quality of care could suffer under plans to change the provision of general practice but the government has accused critics of "irresponsible scaremongering" and insisted that changes will supplement existing care.

The BMA believes the government's plans could affect continuity of care because the contracts are being offered on a short term basis, making it difficult to plan for long term health services and potentially leading to a much higher turnover of GPs within a practice.

"Voters don't want funding to move from GP practices to commercial companies who are accountable primarily to shareholders rather than patients. They want to be treated as patients, not customers," said Dr Laurence Buckman, who will present the petition to the prime minister.

"My message to Gordon Brown is this: Whatever you think of GPs, take note of what your electorate thinks. Work with us to improve the service, not against us, and ignore at your peril the wishes of the most important people in the NHS – the patients."