THE IMPACT OF PRIVATE HEALTHCARE ON THE NHS

The Guardian - Jessica Arnold’s comment piece (I implore people to stop using private health: it’s killing the NHS, 8 January) makes a number of unfounded assertions about the impact of private healthcare on the NHS, and fails to acknowledge that the NHS has always used private companies, as well as voluntary organisations and social enterprises, to deliver NHS services – something that is entirely consistent with its founding principles. The workforce challenges faced by the NHS, which are shared by all major healthcare systems across the world, are not caused by the private health sector “poaching” staff but are a result of a range of complex factors, including an ageing workforce and pension policy. Moreover, removing the ability...>>>