On 23 November, Kevan challenged North Durham CCG to scrap its new contract with private healthcare company, About Healthcare, which will charge £10 per letter to review GP’s referrals before they are passed on to hospitals.
Speaking about the issue in the House of Commons, Kevan said:
“The decision of the North Durham CCG raises some fundamental questions about how the NHS is run in North Durham, and our constituents’ relationship with the NHS.
“The decision changes the fundamental relationship of trust between a patient and their GP. My constituents have never been asked for permission for our private medical information to be passed to a private company.
“I have questions about the way the contract was let. We have had no information about how that happened. Was it by competitive tender? Did any individuals employed by the CCG have any pecuniary interest in awarding the contract? How will it be evaluated? What ability will patients have to say whether they agree with the outcomes? I challenge the North Durham CCG to publish the contract and all information and decision making about how it was awarded, because the cloak of secrecy around it is a disgrace. I also challenge it to scrap the contract and answer a basic question: why is it treating its patients with such contempt?”
To read Kevan’s full speech and the rest of the debate in full, click on the link below:
https://goo.gl/ngceKM