A BRADFORD MP has told the Government to make a “cast-iron guarantee” it will rid the NHS of private companies in its new proposals.

Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East, cited the controversy around a private subsidiary company being created for non-medical staff in Bradford as an example of the dangers of privatising parts of the NHS.

The plans in 2019 at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which were eventually overturned following a campaign by Unison and Mr Hussain, would have seen porters and other staff moved to a subsidiary company.

Last week, Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock brought forward proposals for a new Health and Care Bill.

The bill would eliminate the requirement for competitive tendering for NHS contracts where it adds limited or no value.

However Mr Hussain is concerned the proposals have said little about existing private providers in the NHS, or about the widespread use of private companies, often with no competition or formal tendering process, by the Government during the Coronavirus crisis.

He said: “A year and a half ago, we fought and won in our campaign to halt the dangerous backdoor privatisation of key services in Bradford’s hospitals.

“While we won this battle, privatisation is still far too rife in our health service.

“Despite the damaging impact that privatisation has had on our health service, with a failure to bring significant improvements while allowing shareholders to line their pockets, the Government still refuse to make a cast-iron guarantee that they will end its use in our NHS.

“The Government must therefore set out in their reforms a clear commitment to truly ending a decade of disastrous privatisation and the use of private-sector contractors in our NHS, with these contracts brought back in house to be run by the NHS as soon as possible, and an end to the multi-million-pound contracts given to failed companies and providers.”

The Department for Health and Social Care said the core of the new bill is about “supporting the NHS to better integrate care”, and “implementing what the NHS asked for”.

It said that tendering processes were “wasting precious resources” according to the NHS, and it will allow the NHS to arrange services so that value to the patient, taxpayer and joined up care are prioritised.

Private companies have been involved in the NHS for many years and decisions about using the private sector lies with NHS Commissioners.

“We are clear patients should be able to access the best possible treatments and services based on quality; delivering the best possible outcomes, rather than basing any decision on the type of provider,” the Department of Health added.