'Market Testing'

Hi Blog Fans,

I have had lots of enquiries about the posting of my next blog, the delay has been caused by the large workload coming through to us since the turn of the New Year but here is the next installment.

When is privatisation not privatisation?

This is, of course, a trick question because privatisation is ALWAYS privatisation, whatever name management decide to give it!!

Our Trust is going through 'market testing' to find out if the in-house service is best value for money. This is happening throughout Estates & Facilities.
Unfortunately the Trust has decided that even if the in-house service is the best, private companies will be allowed to tender for the services which we currently provide.
This means that a host of private companies could be running cleaning and catering, or any other services that the Trust provides, within a few months.

This will have major repercussions for our members and for our patients.

History tells us that private companies running NHS services has not been a good.

They will be allowed to pay whatever they deem fit, almost certainly the National Minimum Wage, which is significantly lower than NHS pay rates.

Private companies will not have to abide by the same Sickness targets that the Trust is expected to meet.

Our 'unelected' Government is considering allowing private companies in the NHS to be exempt from paying tax on their profits... another example of 'all being in this together'!!

The Trust Board does have the power to ensure there is a level playing field during the tendering process and this must be exercised to ensure fairness and equity.

We will be making the opposition of privatisation at NUH our main priority in 2013.

On a completely seperate subject matter, can anyone answer the following question:
Scientists tell us that there is a 10billion to 1 chance that our DNA profile would be incorrect but there are only 7billion humans on the planet, so where do the other 3billion profiles come from?

LHS,

Bennie