Stunning legal victory for UNISON as High Court enforces private work cap on FT’s‏

Yesterday the High Court ruled upheld a challenge by UNISON that foundation trust regulator Monitor had undermined the provision of NHS services by failing to produce and enforce accurate guidelines on the levels of income derived from private patient services.
http://www.healthinvestor.co.uk/ShowArticleNews.aspx?ID=897&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said: “Today’s decision is a victory for NHS patients. The Bill introducing Foundation Trusts allowed them to treat private patients, but included a safety net of a cash limit. That limit was designed to ensure that private patients could not buy their way to the front of the queue at the expense of NHS patients. UNISON brought this case because it was clear that the independent regulatory body, Monitor, failed to produce accurate guidelines over the private income cap. This allowed Foundation Trusts to look for loopholes to enable them to treat more private and fewer NHS patients. This was clearly against the founding principles of the NHS that treatment is based on need, not ability to pay.”
http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=1673

The 'Foundation Trust Network' that represents the 125 free-standing NHS Trusts called on the Government to conclude a review of the guidelines to enable an extension of private care and joint ventures with the private sector.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ecaf496-e4de-11de-817b-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss&nclick_check=1

For more information on Foundation Trust private work read
http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/2009/11/review-of-nhs-foundation-trust-private.html