It is shocking to learn that the Government has enabled the sale of our GP Practices to a private company that is profit driven. Many of us are rightly concerned about the sale of GP practices and NHS services to Operose, a UK subsidiary of Centene. NHS nurses and doctors have been the backbone of our country during the Covid-19 crisis. Despite high levels of stress, lack of adequate financial support from the current government, and fears around the increasing spread of Covid-19, they have worked hard to keep the country from collapsing.
A profit driven company will be less focused on delivering adequate health services to the public, and more concerned with profits and answering to shareholders. Moreover, Centene has been the subject of several lawsuits in the US, including being found guilty for systematically underpaying doctors who worked for them. This is not the kind of leadership we need running our health services.
Last year we clapped for our NHS, to show our gratitude for their dedication to keep us safe. It is in this spirit I believe that we should support the campaign by We Own It, to stop the sell-of in our NHS – buildings, land, and premises.
Together, we will continue to demand that our NHS remains public owned and free at the point of use.
