UK withdraws NHS "privatisation" advert

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) The government today denied it was privatising the health service after issuing an advert apparently inviting companies to bid for a share of the NHS's 65 billion pound primary care budget.

Health minister Lord Warner said a drafting error in a notice asking for assistance in commissioning healthcare at primary care trusts had created the ''false impression'' that it was also a tender for the provision of clinical services.

The procurement notice, in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), had been withdrawn and a revised advert would be issued shortly, Warner said.

The advert had drawn accusations from the Keep Our NHS Public campaign group that the government was trying to privatise the NHS by stealth.

Its spokesman Alex Nunns told the Times newspaper: ''this is a giant leap toward privatisation. We are seeing the government inviting the private sector to take over all the functions of a public body, with control over astronomical sums of money.'' Primary care trusts control 75 per cent of the NHS budget and under a market-led reorganisation are responsible for the provision of hospital treatment, dentistry, opticians and other health services to their local communities.

But Warner said the privatisation concerns were unfounded.

''The government made clear last autumn that there was no requirement on primary care trusts to divest themselves of service provision. That remains the case.'' But he said the government wanted to let primary care trusts get help in developing their role as commissioners of healthcare ''from the private and voluntary sectors if necessary''.

''Plans were drawn up to develop a national framework contract which primary care trusts could use to get this help, quickly and cheaply, without having to go through expensive and time-consuming local tenders,'' Warner added.

''However, owing to a drafting error, the official procurement notice in the OJEU gave the false impression that clinical services might be included under this process. That was never intended.'' REUTERS SHB BD1525