Only one in four people support GPs using private companies to provide NHS services, one of the key planks of the Government's health reforms, according to a new poll.
A survey of almost 2,000 adults for public sector union Unison showed that half were opposed to the move, including 56% of Liberal Democrat voters.
The results have been published on the eve of the second reading of the Health and Social Care Bill, which will attract fresh criticism from unions.
Unison said the YouGov poll showed that only 46% of Conservative voters supported private firms providing NHS services, with 22% registering a "don't know" response, and half of those surveyed were against GPs employing private management groups as part of the move to hand over £80 billion of the NHS budget to GPs.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "This Bill is heading for trouble. The YouGov poll shows a clear split between Lib Dem and Tory supporters. There is very weak support from Tory voters and clear opposition from Lib Dems.
"The fact is there is very little support for this Bill from anywhere. Many GPs are opposed to it, as are patients, NHS staff, clinicians, charities, think tanks, MPs and unions. The Government's vanity project is undemocratic, unaffordable and unnecessary.
"The NHS is already under severe financial pressure because of Government demands to make £20 billion in so-called efficiency savings. This titanic reorganisation threatens to sink the NHS. The Government should step back from the brink and pronounce this Bill DOA - dead on arrival."
Health workers are to stage a demonstration outside Parliament, carrying estate agent signs bearing the message 'NHS, Not for Sale'.
Meanwhile, Unite, the country's biggest union, said it will provide "new and forensic analysis" of the legislation for MPs, amid claims that the Government is "rushing through" the 280-clause Bill.
The union said it understood that the Bill could begin its Standing Committee stages as early as Thursday, leaving little time for MPs to get to grips with the "enormity" of the proposals.

The figure is a lot lower in the medical profession and even lower amongst GPs.

My concern is that the NHS is being opened up to market forces. This is a problem, as with any company the goal of providing health care will be lower on the list of priorities than the share holders for those private companies. The best deal will not necessarily be the cheapest tender, but you know that the cheapest option will be the one chosen.

The Tories are going to screw up the NHS as well.

I would suspect that you have more info on the changes than I do.

Though my understanding is that GP's will get say £1000 per patient per year. 2000 patients will mean that they get £2000 000 into the practice account.

General Practice is essentially a business. So in a way, GPs will try to maximise their income. 95% will behave in the best interests of their patients. The remainder are greedy. This small percentage will get reported in the news, and spindoctored.

If they can deal with many conditions in-house they could keep the money instead of paying it out. Hospitals could lose many low cost treatments and without their contribution to hospital costs they will mean that other operations will cost more.

I am all in favour of efficiency and giving doctors the power to do much more, but the whole league tables meant that they had to appoint tens of thousands of unproductive administrators. It tied the doctors up with excessive paperwork. Most people do not want extra choice they just want their local hospital to be good.

Yes this is a way of privatising the entire NHS but if it does not work the Conservatives will be toxic for decades.

I would also imagine a lot of incentives going the GPs’ direction as companies vie for contracts. Free holidays, cars, etc..

When you start to introduce private business, you lose the focus of the real objective

It’s dreadful, and terrifying.

There will be competition for services. However, incentives like holidays/cars etc would easily be banned. Drug companies used to take doctors out for expensive lunches to incentivise them. Then a limit of something like £5 per person was applied so tends to be freebies like pens/highlighters/torches etc.


Completely frikking agree.


You're not the only one in that state. At least half of the medical profession are with you on that one, including me!