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by toyg 2354 days ago
> if they're not hiring then I can only imagine they're starved for funding

The overall context is a government that has been openly antagonistic to the NHS for at least a decade, pushed for disastrously expensive "privatisation by stealth" efforts [0][1][2], and is now effectively trying to outsource the digital side of NHS operations to private companies [3]. Strategically starving certain departments is par for the course.

[0] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/04/gp-local-nhs...

[1] https://the-probe.co.uk/blog/2019/12/hancock-urged-to-halt-n...

[2] https://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f1322

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_Health#Matthew_Hancock

(and many, many more sources if you really need them...)

2 comments

The overall context is a government that has been openly antagonistic to the NHS for at least a decade, pushed for disastrously expensive "privatisation by stealth" efforts [0][1][2], and is now effectively trying to outsource the digital side of NHS operations to private companies [3]. Strategically starving certain departments is par for the course.

If the goal is to "starve the beast" NHSX isn't having trouble with retention then are they?

I agree with everything you say, but GPs have always been private companies operating under NHS GP contracts, and Babylon Health isn't at all unusual in that regard.

They are a very large provider, and that's causing problems for their hosting CCG.

None of this detracts from your point: the NHS has been deliberately under-funded for years, and the Conservatives are pushing for non-NHS providers to provide services.