NHS: US Companies

Lord Clark of Windermere Excerpts

Thursday 22nd March 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord Clark of Windermere (Lab)]

My Lords, does the Minister concede that American companies are already playing a big part in the running of the NHS? Is he aware of the Written Answer given to me by the noble Lord, Lord O’Shaughnessy, last October, which, talking about one of the three companies that oversee the supply of agency nurses used by every trust in the UK, stated:

“We can confirm that Health Trust Europe”—


one of the three—

“is owned by Health Care America and is a privately owned company”.

Will the Minister not come clean and tell us what part American companies play in running the NHS?

[Viscount Younger of Leckie]

I do not think there is anything to come clean about, because I have already reassured the House that no privatisations will take place, and there is no privatisation in place now. The Government’s position is that the NHS is now, and always will be, a public service free at the point of need, and that it is not, and never will be, for sale to the private sector, whether overseas or domestic. No trade agreements will ever alter these fundamental facts.