Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
In April 2014 this press release was sent out https://www.bedfordshireccg.nhs.uk/news/index.php?story_id=364&id=&area_id= Full of the usual fluff about ‘integrated, seamless services’ making ‘a huge difference to patients' . the contract winners Circle made out this was the best thing since sliced bread. Roll forward a few months and the article below was in the Health Services Journal (paywalled so copy and pasted). It transpires Circle have tried to subcontract the service back to the local hospital (grab the money and let someone else do the work) and the hospital now has serious concerns over the viability of A&E and orthopaedic services due to patients being seen by Circle and removing vital income from the hospital. Often hospitals rely on such income to keep it financially viable and support very costly departments like intensive care units. This is reprehensible behaviour by the private sector. Another blow to the NHS at the ha...