The research
looking into Lords and MPs connections to private healthcare through the
register of interests is complete. Below are listed some of the key findings.
Research into the murky and dangerous Health and Social Care bill is ongoing and
more facts will be added here as and when they arise.
- 206 parliamentarians have recent or present financial private healthcare connections
- 142 Lords have recent or present financial connections to companies involved in healthcare
- 124 Peers benefit from the financial services sector
- 1 in 4 Conservative Peers have recent or present financial connections to companies involved in healthcare
- 1 in 6 Labour Peers have recent or present financial connections to companies involved in healthcare
- 1 in 6 Crossbench Peers have recent or present financial connections to companies involved in healthcare
- 1 in 10 Liberal Democrat Peers have recent or present financial connections to companies involved in healthcare
- 70 MPs have recent or present financial links to companies involved in private healthcare
- 79% of these are Conservative
- 4 Key members of the Associate Parliamentary Health Group have parliamentarians with financial connections to companies involved in healthcare
- 4 Patrons of the pro-reform think tank 2020health have Peers with private healthcare links
- Nearly 40% of the most powerful individuals in healthcare are from companies with links to Lords and MPs.
- 333 donations from private healthcare sources totalling £8.3 million has been gifted to the Tories.
- 4 MPs and 1 Lord have worked for Huntsworth Health, run by a Peer who gave money to Cameron’s leadership campaign
- 25 of the Finalists in the HealthInvestors Awards 2012 have parliamentarians connected to them
- 2 companies, DACBeachcroft, Cumberlege Connections., which have Lords as a partner and as an owner respectively, moved themselves into a position to make money from the reforms as the Lords voted on the bill, and before the bill became Act
- 5 organisations link to Baroness Cumberlege: Her company, Cumberlege Connections, Associate Parliamentary Health Group, 2020health, Huntsworth plc, MJM, healthcare solutions
- 19 Lords and MPs have financial links to Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline
- 9 Lords and MPs have received payment from a company run by Baroness Cumberlege, called Cumberlege Connections, which is a healthcare training and political networking company
- 1 – the amount of times the BBC challenged Andrew Lansley in the last three years on his donation received to fund his private office when shadow health minister from John Nash the chairman of Care UK. Mr Nash was made a Lord.
- All were able to vote on the Health and Social Care bill (now Act), despite having a prejudicial interest, which would not have been allowed at local council level
Just come back to UK after 15 years in USA. The NHS is not perfect and certainly needs overhauling but people here have no idea what life would be like under an American-style private healthcare system.
ReplyDeleteLife under an American-style private healthcare system
DeleteDemocracyNow! report: Uninsured people travel across USA for healthcare provided by Remote Area Medical - a medical charity founded by British philanthropist, Stan Brock
Well that is exactly what the Nasty Party is trying to introduce, I found when I was in the States that waiting for my disability hearing I was entitled to State aid, food stamps, a little cash and fee medical treatment, of course different States have different rules and some have no free medical at all, what we need is for NI contributions to be used for Social Security and NHS NOT for the latest Minister to furnish their home or worse still to fund AND furnish their second home.
Deletethe argument that it is worse somewhere else doesn't really convince me that we should stand by while fat, greedy MPs and Lords pass bills simply to make themselves richer and fatter.
DeleteForeigners coming to Great Britain ARE given free health care. The amount of paperwork involved in dealing with them, together with the "free healthcare" ethos means that millions and millions of pounds worth of services and medication is NOT being charged for.
ReplyDeleteSo, thats y their so desperate 2 privatise it against the peoples wishes & deliberately let foreigners abuse our system so, they can try & justify what their doing. No one voted them in 2 do anything 2 the NHS. The people want it & its theirs. This corrupt bunch of greedy, grubby, money-grabbing parasites r out 2 fatten their bank accounts!
ReplyDeleteStop bringing foreigners into it people! A foreigner getting treatment isn't "abusing the system" they're simply someone who has got sick and like any of us thought "I'd better get help." And if they're not asked for money, then of course they're not going to pay for it, just like any of us. Don't blame people like us who just want free health care. Blame those at the top who are lining each other's pockets and making millions while gradually reducing what is available on the NHS.
ReplyDeleteNicely put.
Deleteexactly, it's nothing to do with who gets treated or how, it's to do with who makes money out of that treatment. The NHS is paid for by taxes, that money should go to doctors and nurses, not private firms owned by MPs and Lords. They simply sit on the board of some service providing company and syphon all the money out of the system so the service gets worse and they get richer. Sick, greedy, self serving.
DeletePrivate companies running healthcare would be a disaster. Greedy MP's, their fat cat mates & so on & so forth are only in it for the money. Yes maybe things need to change alittle but this is certainly not the correct way! If they can 'sell off' pallative childrens care to private companies so the said companies can profit from the care for poorly children they need sacking. Cant people see what is happening. If you are lucky enough not to be ill then good for you. Life is extremely precious and one unfortunate incident could leave you with long term care. Imagine if you have to go to 1 private company for 1 thing, another company elsewhere for something else, somewhere different for something else. Anything complex and youll be snookered! Its not going to work. Patients will die, receive worse care than ever.....all so the rich get richer. It makes my blood boil!
ReplyDelete