Written evidence submitted by Frances
Kelly
Many more eloquent than I have dissected the effects
of PFI. I would like to say the following:
In the late 1990s I wrote and submitted a letter
to Manchester Health Authority on behalf of the Unison Branch
covering South Manchester Health Services. In it I set out the
excess costs of the proposed PFI scheme to rebuild Wythenshawe
hospital, over a publicly-financed scheme. The Finance Director
of the HA agreed but the scheme went ahead. In about 2005 figures
became available through the Board papers of Central Manchester
PCT showing that every NHS organisation in Greater Manchester
was being top-sliced to provide funds or the debt thereby incurred
to "South Manchester"—ie UHSM—that is all
NHS organisations in Greater Manchester were losing funds for
services to pay for the PFI scheme. Later the funding arrangements
were changed so the transactions were no longer visible.
It is a disgrace that the Government authorises PFI
and thereby puts excessive profits into these private companies.
It is even worse that no extra funding is provided so that the
NHS has to pay out of money which should be providing services.
It is a final disgrace that this present Government has condemned
PFI yet is allowing a large number of new schemes to proceed including
the Royal Liverpool hospital. Liverpool is an area of deprivation
and can ill afford to lose any monies which should be dedicated
to providing NHS services not paying into companies' profits.
April 2011
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