HACKNEY KEEP OUR NHS PUBLIC: We are a campaigning group opposed to NHS privatisation. Contact: hackneykonp@aol.com

Stop big private companies taking over our local GP surgeries in Hackney

The government is forcing City & Hackney Primary Care trust (which funds all GP surgeries in Hackney) to sell off local doctors’ surgeries to big private health care companies.

The first interest of these big private companies is in making money for their shareholders, not in caring for patients.

Three Hackney GP surgeries have already been sold off to the private sector.

Now the Primary Care Trust is offering to sell two new GP-led health centres to these big private companies.

There are lots of dedicated doctors in Hackney who are committed to providing the best service possible for the people of Hackney – but they have to compete against the big private companies to run the new centres.

“GP-led health centres” offered to big private health care companies

Two new style “GP-led health centres” are planned – one in South East Hackney which has not yet been built, and one on the site of the existing Oldhill practice in North East Hackney.

n The “GP-led health centres” will use a new contract model, called the Alternative Provider of Medical Services contract, or APMS, which allows the private sector to take over GP services.

• GPs employed on short contracts by large private companies don’t have the commitment or knowledge of patients that local GPs do.

• Commercial contractors do not have to adopt NHS pay and conditions for staff, and do not offer NHS pensions, allowing them to undercut traditional GPs and slash their wage bill. GPs employed on lower wages are usually less qualified & experienced.
• Information about GP services that are currently publicly available will become “commercially confidential”, meaning that you, the public will find it extremely difficult to discover who is being given responsibility for your health care.
• Private companies’ first responsibility is to shareholders - not to patients

STOP THE SELL-OFF: COME TO A PUBLIC MEETING
Thursday 23 July 7pm HAROLD PINTER ROOM
HACKNEY EMPIRE, 291 Mare Street E8

SPEAKERS:
Dr Jonathon Tomlinson (local Hackney GP)
Dr Wendy Savage (Keep Our NHS Public)
Glenroy Watson (RMT)

Health not profit

For information about Keep Our NHS Public meetings and what you can do contact us by phone or email, 07745 130 645, hackneykonp@aol.com. If you want to go on our contact list, fill in the tear-off slip below and return it to: Hackney KONP, c/o 26 Framlingham Close, London E5 9PR.

WE THINK EVERY HACKNEY GP SURGERY SHOULD BE AS GOOD AS THE BEST