Save Hinchingbrooke Hospital

Aberdeen Press and Journal
NHS surgery goes private in £15m deal. Angus councillors have stepped up demands for open discussion with health chiefs on a £15m deal which will see a private company providing medical services to north-east NHS patients. After months of secrecy and delays, Netcare Scotland was named yesterday as the private firm which will carry out surgical procedures on NHS patients from Tayside, Grampian and Fife at Stracathro Hospital at Scotland's first regional treatment centre. The announcement came just days after a plea from Arbroath councillor and former GP Dick Speirs for more openness about behind-the-scenes negotiations between the company and NHS Tayside, a call which was universally backed at a full council meeting. NHS Tayside had rejected appeals to name the private firm involved before the three-year contract was signed yesterday and the project was never debated at the Scottish Parliament, despite public funds for it being promised by Health Minister Andy Kerr last year. The scheme was also plagued by delays during negotiations, which scuppered plans to have the service up and running by March this year.


What chance that happening at Hinchingbrooke.........................?

Evens I'd say, unless the SHA,PCT and the Chief Executive can assure us publicly it wont