Streeting plan to use private beds for NHS patients gets Alan Milburn backing

28 January 2023 , 18:56

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Wes Streeting wants to use private hospitals' spare capacity (Image: PA)

Former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn will back Wes Streeting’s plan to use private hospitals for NHS patients on Sunday.

The shadow Health boss wants to buy excess capacity in the private sector to carry out 233,000 procedures a year to cut NHS waiting lists if Keir Starmer becomes PM.

Mr Milburn tells GBNews: “If I was in charge today, I’d ask the private sector hospital guys what capacity they’ve got that is spare.

“And I’d offer to buy it. And I’d buy it in order to be able to treat NHS patients for free.”

Mr Milburn was Health Secretary in Tony Blair ’s government between 1999 - 2003 and introduced NHS foundation trusts championing the private and public sectors working together.

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Alan Milburn was Tony Blair's Health Secretary (HALL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Mr Streeting’s scheme would mean NHS paying private hospitals for both in and out patient appointments at the same rate it would cost the health service.

Mr Milburn also said he’d step in and drive up pay for those in social care.

He added: “We pay them the minimum wage. You can get as much working in Tesco ’s.

“I’d introduce a proper living wage for social care people, and it would be higher than you could earn in Tesco’s to make social care competitive.

“We’ve got more vacancies in social care than we’ve got doctors working in the NHS. It’s terrible. It really is bad.”

Nigel Nelson