NHS GP Surgeries: Purchase by US Companies Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateBaroness Bottomley of Nettlestone
Main Page: Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone (Conservative - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
(1 year, 2 months ago)
Lords ChamberI am not aware of any correlation between the type of ownership and the quality of the services from it. If there is one, then we can look at that, but we are focusing resources on the areas where they make most difference, and the focus is: what is the performance of that clinic? That is what we should all care about. How are the doctors there performing in terms of appointment times and everything else? I will not put a false target on who owns it and the structure of it, because that is not relevant. What is relevant is the quality.
Is it not the case that the former chief executive of the NHS brought some extremely valuable experience back from America, from UnitedHealth? I remember long ago in the distant past, when the Labour Party was last in power, that Kaiser Permanente was constantly being consulted. Surely it is an arrogance to have a xenophobic approach to where we take advice and where we learn from other people’s experiences?
I totally agree with my noble friend. I like to think that we will take advice from whoever is best placed to give it, whether they are public sector, private sector, UK or international.