Staggering profiteering from the 5 main private companies providing cataract removals to the NHS. £169 million in 2023-24 alone - a profit margin of 32%. This is taxpayers' money being squandered on private payouts. Efficiency, @rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social? www.theguardian.com/society/2025... - ThreadSky

doctoroxford.com • 7 days ago

Staggering profiteering from the 5 main private companies providing cataract removals to the NHS.

£169 million in 2023-24 alone - a profit margin of 32%.

This is taxpayers' money being squandered on private payouts.

Efficiency, @rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social?

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/04/profits-from-nhs-england-eye-care-outsourcing-same-as-100-pfi-contracts-research-finds

Comments

eagleneedle.bsky.social•6 days ago

More UK taxpayer money siphoned off for private profit. Streeting drifts closer to the US extortion racket system.

davidwhitewood.bsky.social•6 days ago

"a profit margin of 32%".. Is not profiteering. It is a fair margin for tooling and resourcing up to deliver such services.
Disclosure: I have no interest in private medical services and use the NHS, not private healthcare. I am interested in increased efficiency in the NHS

nickofthelynchmob.bsky.social•6 days ago

A third of income is a "fair margin"?? That money - taxpayers money - is their profit after "tooling and resourcing" and goes to shareholders, it is not reinvested in people's healthcare.

davidwhitewood.bsky.social•5 days ago

Companies that supply the NHS make profit - get over it!
30% is in line with what good companies should make.
An alternative measure is are they better/more efficient than could be delivered by an NHS provisioned alternative? If it is then it is great value.

davidwhitewood.bsky.social•5 days ago

As a benchmark High Street opticians net profit margins are between 30 and 40%

davidwhitewood.bsky.social•7 days ago

Small sums to get stuff done.

rockinchimp.bsky.social•7 days ago

It is costing more to outsource than doing it as part of the NHS you dolt, or do you think profits should take priority in healthcare?

davidwhitewood.bsky.social•6 days ago

Take your insults to the other place.
Q. Does the NHS have the capacity and resources to do the work?
Should the patients wait on a list until they do?

rockinchimp.bsky.social•6 days ago

Cry about it you moron and if the NHS was funded properly it could do the work itself but Labour, just like the Tories, have no interest in doing that.

davidwhitewood.bsky.social•6 days ago

Apologise. Or I report and you can go back to the other place.

jordanrivera.bsky.social•6 days ago

If we are gong to allow private companies to do some of the work, we must try and get a better deal from these private companies.

davidwhitewood.bsky.social•6 days ago

Lots of suppliers make profit from supplying products and services to the NHS

davidwhitewood.bsky.social•6 days ago

Business balances buy Vs build decisions. Can we afford the time to tool up and hire or buy a ready to go service? Should the patients continue on a waiting list?
Market forces dictate what a fair price is to buy. NHS buyers should know what is a fair price.
Profit is not a dirty word.

jordanrivera.bsky.social•6 days ago

These private companies only take some of the work, the easy work, that profit that you say is not a dirty word, is public money that should be funding the NHS.
#SOSNHS

davidwhitewood.bsky.social•6 days ago

Profit less than 1% of NHS budget.
How much would need to be invested to bring in house?
How long would it take and what do you tell the peeps on the waiting list?

motosunburn.bsky.social•7 days ago

While there's a backlog of operations and insufficient capacity in the NHS to clear it, use of the private sector makes sense. In the short term anyway, but bearing in mind it takes 10 years to train a doctor.

mrweekender.bsky.social•7 days ago

Apparently this is what Streeting used the winter fuel and the 2 child cap savings for…

persianperson.bsky.social•7 days ago

And the number of referrals for correcting sub standard operations are going up

papillon19.bsky.social•7 days ago

https://www.chpi.org.uk/reports/out-of-sight-understanding-the-hidden-impact-of-cataract-outsourcing-on-nhs-finances

papillon19.bsky.social•7 days ago

https://www.chpi.org.uk/conflicts-of-interest-in-healthcare

jo-jo64.bsky.social•6 days ago

And in the week we are honouring those who made sacrifices during the war, rewarded by a Labour govt with the Welfare state and the NHS, we have a 'Labour' govt allowing private health companies to run riot.

Labour 1945 and 'Labour' 2025.

No comparison.

Go now Streeting.

Take Starmer with you.

karenrh.bsky.social•7 days ago

Appalling but not unsurprising sadly

wrenkh.bsky.social•7 days ago

This is so worrying & not likely to be reported on the BBC or in the Daily Fail etc

elainehart.bsky.social•7 days ago

I was sent for a colonoscopy to a private NHS hospital, every aspect was shit from admin to consultant. Colonoscopy failed. Had another at our actual NHS hospital and every aspect was great. Well... apart from having a colonoscopy 😂. Love to know how much the private one cost

nickofthelynchmob.bsky.social•6 days ago

This is the sort of profiteering we can expect if Reform get their way and this country moves to a privatised health system.

doctoroxford.com•7 days ago

Report here:

https://www.chpi.org.uk/reports/out-of-sight-understanding-the-hidden-impact-of-cataract-outsourcing-on-nhs-finances

claremulley.bsky.social•7 days ago

Appalling, thank you for sharing.

ruthabbott.bsky.social•6 days ago

I admire and respect your efforts to highlight the challenges in the NHS, but this is misleading- Labour did not authorise these contracts, the conservative government did

drkroys.bsky.social•6 days ago

A part of this comes from how the private services make free use of primary care. We tend to find that they will try and pass anything to your GP if they can. There is often no communication channels with them to address this as they are contracted separately and so have less accountability

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