The Green Party believes the NHS shouldn’t be privatised, and neither should vital aspects of its work such as updating medical records or communicating with patients on behalf of doctors. But a document leaked last month shows that that is what is happening and it includes 5 NHS admin centres across Yorkshire selected for closure next year.

The Primary Care Support Service centres are a vital part of the backup that GPs and patients need, keeping medical records up to date, sending out letters to patients, and providing payment services.

This September, 32 centres will be handed over to corporate giant Capita and the 150 or so people at the 5 centres in our region, 2 in York, and one each in Huddersfield, Doncaster and Hull, can expect to lose their jobs as their centres close next year. Nationally, Capita plan to close 29 of the centres and keep only 3. As far as we can make out, they’re going to be asset-stripped and 90% of the people are going to lose their jobs. Meanwhile Capita gets a huge contract worth about £400m over ten years.

GPs are already overstretched and will struggle if their basic administrative support is removed. General Practice is the lynch pin of the NHS so major reductions in vital administrative support will threaten the whole of health care.  Backroom services are not an added extra and are best provided locally, especially in health care which needs a personal touch to make it work. 

 We call on all those who care about the NHS to object to this further privatisation and asset-stripping.

Yours,

Dr Jillian Creasy

Green Party health spokesperson

Sheffield General Practitioner