The Magnificent Seven
Meet the seven people who comprise the board of Peninsula Community Health CIC, the not-for-profit, private, community interest company which from 1st October takes over responsibility for fourteen of Cornwall's community hospitals, district nurses, health visitors, speech and language therapists and minor injury units. Who owns Peninsula Community Health? It's a good question. At the moment, ownership rests with these seven - although not as shareholders. Kevin Baber told me recently that the intention is, eventually, to have a very large number of "members" drawn mainly from staff and patients' groups. Until then, I suspect, health unions will continue to express their fears that this whole NHS reorganisation is a slippery slope to privatisation.
I'm ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Devon’s Graham Smith, blogging on news, views and some fresh insights into West Country life, particularly the way government works locally and nationally.
Comment number 1.
At 21st Sep 2011, backofanenvelope wrote:Who are these people? Who elected them? Better by far to create a private company and give the shares to the people who pay taxes. People like me........
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Comment number 2.
At 21st Sep 2011, 28daysearlier wrote:Don't you mean better by far to leave in the hands of the state?
What happens if this public interest company runs into financial trouble? What will then happen to the staff who have been forcebliy transfered from the state sector into this company?
Who decided these people are the best to run this new company on our behalf? I bet everybody who was part of the decision making process earns enough to ensure that they never have to soley rely upon the results of this reorganisation...
The point is if this goes tits up there is no plan B!
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Comment number 3.
At 21st Sep 2011, backofanenvelope wrote:No I don't mean that it would be better to leave it in the hands of the State. These people are not shareholders and if it goes Tango Uniform they will escape scott-free. Far better to issue shares to the council tax payers.
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Comment number 4.
At 23rd Sep 2011, Saltashgaz wrote:Privatisation is a matter of when rather then if, almost all my neighbours work for the NHS so I suspect such a shakeup would have a devastating effect on Cornwall, but the NHS should be about value not as it has become a tool to lower employment metrics. We look at the NHS through rose tinted specs, if you want to know the truth speak to a nurse
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Comment number 5.
At 23rd Sep 2011, P_Trembath wrote:Saltashgaz wrote:-
"...but the NHS should be about value...."
No, the NHS should be about health care.
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Comment number 6.
At 24th Sep 2011, backofanenvelope wrote:Here we go again....... The "Money Grows on Trees" party.
Why should privatisation result in lower employment? Unless of course there are a lot of people in Saltash who aren't providing value for money?
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