Labour Government Paves the Way for Large Scale NHS Privatisation: A Critical Look at Increased Private Healthcare Use

Dom Tristram's Soapbox

Yesterday (6th January 2025) the Labour government announced of a significant increase in the use of private healthcare providers to address NHS waiting lists. While some may argue this is a pragmatic response to backlogs, the implications of this policy confirm a deeper, more troubling shift.

A Pattern of Privatisation

I have long pointed to the Labour Party’s pro-privatisation stance, but this warning has all too often fallen on deaf ears, both of Labour activists and some voters. I can’t tell you how many times I have been at hustings or meetings about the NHS where people simply don’t believe that Labour, the self-styled ‘party of the NHS’ has anything but the best of intentions for it and keeping it public.

However, this is not the case. Even under Corbyn (who supported the Bill as a back bencher) the Labour Party was whipped to abstain on the NHS Reinstatement Bill, which would have put removing profits from NHS service into law.

Wes Streeting, the Shadow Health Secretary, has consistently shown sympathy towards private healthcare, and the Labour Party has received sizeable donations from private health companies. Yesterday’s announcement underscores a fundamental issue: the NHS is being incrementally handed over to private firms, under the guise of efficiency and backlog reduction.

This is not a short-term solution. Once private providers become even more entrenched in NHS operations, they are unlikely to leave. NHS money—already stretched to its limit—is being funnelled into private pockets, with no new funding in sight. For those who argue that private providers will simply vanish once waiting lists are cleared, the reality is far from it. Their presence will likely expand, creating a system where profit motives increasingly dictate healthcare provision.

The Staff Shortage Problem

One of the key flaws in this approach is the misconception that private hospitals can offer additional capacity. Private healthcare providers do not conjure up new staff; they largely rely on NHS-trained consultants, many of whom divide their time between public and private work. As private workloads increase, NHS capacity inevitably suffers. The problem isn’t a lack of facilities but a chronic shortage of staff—a situation exacerbated by diverting personnel to more lucrative private roles.

Skimming Profits from Routine Procedures

Even if we were to assume that private healthcare provides genuine extra capacity, this policy creates another financial burden for the NHS. Private providers typically focus on straightforward, high-volume procedures like hip and knee replacements—the very services where NHS hospitals can generate a modest surplus to offset the losses from more complex and costly treatments, such as emergency care or cancer therapies.

By outsourcing routine operations, the NHS loses this vital revenue stream, making it even harder to sustain essential but less ‘profitable’ services. The result? NHS hospitals will struggle even more, while private firms profit.

Shiny Private Facilities vs. Crumbling NHS Infrastructure

It’s easy to see why patients might prefer private hospitals, with their modern facilities. But this shouldn’t be a choice forced upon them due to the government’s neglect of NHS infrastructure.

My partner works in a typical, tired and crumbling NHS hospital where wards are sometimes closed because of plumbing disasters—a problem that could easily be resolved with proper investment in capital projects. Yet, funding for such improvements is sorely lacking.

Instead of funnelling money into private hospitals, the government should be investing in NHS facilities, expanding capacity, and addressing the maintenance backlog. Shiny private hospitals might appear appealing in the short term, but they represent a long-term erosion of the NHS’s ability to provide universal, equitable care.

A Bold Solution: Nationalise Private Hospitals

The Labour government claims there is no alternative to private sector involvement, but history tells us otherwise. When the NHS was founded, private hospitals were brought into public ownership to ensure universal healthcare. If we truly want to expand NHS capacity, the solution is simple: nationalise private hospitals and integrate them into the public healthcare system.

This approach would immediately bolster NHS capacity without diverting funds to profit-driven providers. Anything less is a tacit admission that the government prioritises private profit over public health.

What Can You Do?

To combat this privatisation agenda, take action now. Write to your Labour MP or local Labour Party and express your opposition to private sector outsourcing. Make it clear that their stance on this issue will influence your vote. Even if you’ve never voted Labour, they won’t know—what matters is the pressure from constituents.

Additionally, consider supporting a party that unequivocally opposes NHS privatisation. As a former Green Party candidate, I believe the Greens are the only party in England committed to removing private firms from the NHS and restoring it as a public service.

Your vote is your voice—use it to demand a healthcare system that prioritises people over profit.

The future of the NHS depends on our collective action. If we fail to stand against these policies now, privatisation will continue, and the core principles of our healthcare system will be eroded beyond recognition.

Vote for what you believe in, and fight for a truly public NHS.

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