The politics of the private finance initiative and the new NHS
In the last of four Education and Debate articles published in the BMJ, this week Declan Gaffney et al from University College London, and the Universities of Northumbria and Manchester, pull together their arguments against the continuation of the government's private finance initiative (PFI) within the UK's National Health Service (NHS).
The authors conclude that "...the PFI provides the conditions and the mechanisms for reversing the principles that health care should be funded out of general taxation, that public services should remain in public ownership and that health services should be free at the point of delivery." They go on to say that "...The NHS has already undergone major redefinition with the redrawing of the boundaries for long term care, NHS dentistry, optical services and routine elective care. The PFI continues this trend across the NHS and all public services. It is being implemented with virtually no public debate."
Contact:
Professor Allyson Pollock, Health Policy and Health Services Research Unit, School of Public Policy, University College London Email:allyson.pollock@ucl.ac.uk