500 signatures reached
To: Barts Health NHS Trust & NHS England
Stop #PFI contracts from bleeding East London hospitals dry
Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts are crippling our hospitals with debt, forcing them to cut corners and outsource our health.
Six East London hospitals are under threat; with a looming crisis in care, 10% of staff posts lost and wages cut for many employees.
We call on Barts Health NHS Trust and NHS England to make immediate, publicly transparent, plans to end the disastrous and unsustainable Barts Health PFI contracts now!
Why is this important?
Barts Health NHS Trust is the biggest hospital trust in England, running six hospitals including Whipps Cross, Newham University and The Royal London. It has the biggest health PFI and the biggest deficit.
We the undersigned note that:
a) Barts Health NHS Trust is in financial crisis with a £93m deficit, the Chief Executive recently resigned, and pending reports on the quality of care and worsening A&E waiting times soon to be released;
b) Barts Health NHS Trust is paying £43m a year in interest payments to private investors on the PFI contracts;
c) This is a main cause of Barts Health’s deficit and its £58m of cuts last year, including the loss of 10% of posts and the downbanding of staff;
d) The PFI contracts make our hospitals outsource key services (like domestics services and catering) to private providers; even when it is more expensive. Barts Health saved 7% of the costs of some services provided under the PFI (or £4m per year) by bringing them in-house.
- Learn more about Barts PFI at www.peoplevsbartspfi.wordpress.com
- Learn more about PFIs at www.peoplevspfi.org.uk
