NHS ‘under threat’ from ‘secret privatization’, says Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry has said the NHS is “under threat” from “secret privatization” and fears the health service will use private companies to deliver care.
comedian and presenter, 65, has added his voice to the public ownership campaign group We Own It, which has criticized outsourcing in healthcare.
In a video released by the group’s Twitter page on Wednesday, Fry said: “We own it. It is ours. The NHS belongs to us. Our grandparents, great-grandfathers, parents, and ourselves made it. We contributed to it, we paid for it, we believed in it.
“It is one of the proudest things Britain has ever done and it is now under threat… from… people who are not allowed to get away with this. It has done too much damage, this move is intended to privatize the secret.”
Fry, who has hosted the BBC comedy show QI and has acted in the dark drama V For Vendetta and the historical dramas Gosford Park and Wilde, also said he regrets not joining the cast. Campaigners demonstrate on Saturday, February 25 in Parliament Square.
The comedian, also known for his collaborations with Hugh Laurie on the sketch show A Bit Of Fry And Laurie and the comedy-drama Jeeves And Wooster, has previously supported anti-transformation protesters climate Extinction Rebellion and the ban on so-called conversion therapy seek to change the sex of people. orientation.
We Own It will be joined by Unite the Union, Unison and Keep Our NHS Public as they say they are trying to draw attention to the study, published in June 2022, concluding that the The increasing privatization of NHS services has led to a decline in the quality of healthcare and increased mortality from treatable causes.
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Research shows £11.5 billion was spent on outsourced health services from the NHS to the private sector between 2014 and 2020 (Jeff Moore/PA)
The study by researchers from the University of Oxford, published in The Lancet Public Health, looked at the impact of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 in the UK.
It is estimated that an additional 557 deaths between 2014 and 2020 can be attributed to changes in outsourcing.
In total, the researchers found £11.5 billion was spent on outsourced health services to the private sector during the study period.
The Department of Health and Social Care pointed out that at the time of publication of the report, there was no “causal link between mortality and outsourcing of health services” and that the NHS would remain “free at all times”. point of use”.
76% of the public in a poll last year said they wanted to end NHS privatization after the pandemic. It’s time for our government to start listening to the public. We need an NHS that works for the people, not for the profits of greedy private companiesJohnbosco Nwogbo, We Own It
The group also cites the Elective Recovery Plan, announced in February 2022, which has drawn criticism from the British Medical Association for being set up to increase outsourcing.
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Late last year, an Elective Rehabilitation Task Force was created to look at how to reduce waiting lists for elective care, including how to use the stand-alone area to treat more patients. and includes key leaders from the NHS and the private sector.
“The public has been clear about this,” said Johnbosco Nwogbo, lead campaigner at We Own It. 76% of the public in a poll last year said they wanted to end NHS privatization after the pandemic.
“It is time for our government to start listening to the public. We need an NHS that works for the people, not for the profits of greedy private companies.”
We Own It also leads public ownership campaigns on issues such as blocking the possibility of ending BBC license fees and putting utilities like energy and water back into Government hands.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/nhs-under-threat-from-covert-privatisation-says-stephen-fry-42333709.html NHS ‘under threat’ from ‘secret privatization’, says Stephen Fry
