At the end of November the Government announced that nine English NHS Trusts had been selected for the Mutuals in Health: Pathfinder programme - described in a UNISON briefing as ‘part of the government’s drive to move more NHS services out of public ownership’. In a timely article on the lessons of the Hinchingbrooke hospital scandal, David Owen, believes Circle’s failure could derail the mutual bandwagon: ‘those who advocate “the market as the organising principle of the NHS”, have abused the term mutual as a less abrasive way of achieving their objectives. Fortunately, they have now been exposed, and happily so before the general election. Those who worry about the NHS can now rally, and let prospective candidates know exactly what they expect of all MPs in the next parliament. There is just enough time’
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/19/hinchingbrooke-hospital-scandal-mutual-privately-run
