Spen protest group on NHS is formed (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Spen protest group on NHS is formed
12:00pm Friday 22nd February 2013 in News
A campaign group has been formed to fight changes to the National Health Service in north Kirklees.
Batley and Spen MP Mike Wood (Lab) held a public meeting at Batley Town Hall to discuss what he labelled as the “privatisation” of the NHS.
In Government plans, which take effect on April 1, primary care trusts will be abolished and clinical commissioning groups will take over the management and commissioning of health services such as dentists’ and GPs’ surgeries and walk-in centres.
In the plan, private companies will be able to compete to provide NHS-funded services.
After the meeting, Mr Wood said: “The Government’s flagship NHS privatisation is notoriously unpopular and troubling but the extent to which local people oppose it became even more evident on Saturday.”
Chris Dowse, designate chief officer of NHS North Kirklees Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “We know people are concerned about what they see as privatisation of the NHS, but we have to work within a legal framework which requires us to put some services out to tender and ensure best value for money.”
