"All community child health services in Wiltshire will be privatised under a five-year £64m contract with Virgin Care, it has been announced today (11 November)."
"Services are currently provided by the five NHS providers within the Wiltshire CCG catchment – a set-up which NHS England, Wiltshire Council and the CCG believe blocks access to "consistent and equitable" levels of care and support."
"As a result, these services – including, among others, children’s specialist community nursing, health visiting and speech and language therapy – will be transferred to the private giant from April 2016..."
"Other professionals involved in the move – such as NHS England’s director of commissioning and Wiltshire Council’s two corporate directors – are adamant that privatising services will ensure children receive the best possible start in life."
Importantly, they believe that the new contract will open up possibilities of joined-up working between health and social care professionals to lift standards of care and improve service access.
"In July, Virgin Care bagged a larger £130m deal to run child services in Devon. It competed with – and outbid – a consortium of Devon Partnership NHS Trust with charities Barnado’s, Young Devon and Interserve, as well as with Serco and Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust."
Just say the magic words: "The best possible start in life,` AND `Joined up working` and it justifies anything.
See NHS is on a one way road to privatisation
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