Green light given to business plan for Huddersfield community 'NHS privatisation'

Sep 2 2010 by Kevin Core, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

NHS KIRKLEES will allow the next stage in a process which could see a string of community services come under the remit of a “social enterprise.”

Unions say the plan would move Kirklees Community Healthcare Services (KCHS) out of the NHS and be the effective privatisation of services like district nursing, school nursing, stop smoking advice and community dental services.

At a meeting yesterday the board of NHS Kirklees allowed the expression of interest in forming the social enterprise to go forward to the formulation of a business plan.

There is currently a deadline for the expressions which KCHS says necessitated prompt action.

Despite a series of roadshows to advise NHS staff about the plans, unions say they are deeply concerned about the prospect that years down the line competition in the private sector could leave employees’ jobs insecure.

Despite the board’s approval of the next stage, NHS Kirklees chairman Rob Napier said more work had to be done at KCHS to measure staff opinion about the change.

He said: “The views of staff are paramount in this exercise and we know a lot of work is being done to engage them and deal with their concerns.

“To make sure we have the support we think we’ve got I would be looking for more external validation of that – much more than we’ve had today.”

Earlier, KCHS director Robert Flack had been called to present the views of staff.

He said he did not want to say a lot but instead opted to show a video of monologues by four staff. Two expressed nerves about the social enterprise move but the general consensus was positive.

After the video, however, he was asked whether the people had been selected especially for the video.

Mr Flack replied: “Yes and no”. He said the invitation to appear was made to some staff at an information roadshow.

Asked how many people attended the roadshow, Mr Flack confessed he had failed to keep attendance sheets until the fourth of the meetings, which he said had been a “boo boo”.