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[CLKD]

The UK's biggest chain of GP practices lets less qualified staff see patients without adequate supervision, an undercover BBC Panorama investigation has found.

Operose Health is putting patients at risk by prioritising profit, says a senior GP.

The company, with almost 600,000 NHS patients, is owned by US healthcare giant Centene Corporation.

Operose says it's not short-staffed and operates in patients' best interests.

[CLKD]

Does any1 here or know of any1 who uses a health facility that has been outsourced ?

[ElkWarning]

Outsourced? GPs have never been part of the NHS. The only way the government in the 1940s were able to negotiate the formation of the NHS with doctors was to agree that practices could remain private. In many ways, the structure of a surgery is similar to that of a solicitors, hence why both have partners.

To answer your question, they were never 'in-sourced' and have instead always billed the NHS for provision of services.

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

When forming the NHS Aneurin Bevan was asked how he won over the doctors, he replied that he 'stuffed their mouths with gold'.

With so much outsourcing  I think the NHS has become a logo to be purchased and used for marketing purposes. A bit like the Royal Mail!

Take care ladies.

K.

[CLKD]

Interesting ElkWarning.  I am aware that GPs were no longer able to do small surgical procedures in Practice, it was all taken into the Hospitals. 

[sheila99]

My surgery has a 3 week wait for an appointment and that's if you can through at 8am so many people end up at the OOH nurse or A&E. I'd rather have a less qualified person available for minor issues as long as I can see a GP in a sensible time frame when I need one.

[CLKD]

Apparently 'they' are supposedly under GP observation; so why not simply get an appt. with a GP 

[Tinkerbell]

Our practice is owned by Operose. It is horrendous getting appointments, adult son has had to resort to paying for private GP on two occassions now.

[Taz2]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61759641 Interesting reading

Taz x

[ElkWarning]

Our practice is owned by Operose. It is horrendous getting appointments, adult son has had to resort to paying for private GP on two occassions now.

I believe that's what's called 'working as intended'.

[Katejo]

Our practice is owned by Operose. It is horrendous getting appointments, adult son has had to resort to paying for private GP on two occassions now.

My practice isn't owned by Operose (as far as I know) but it is extremely difficult to get an appointment. I had a phone conversation with a receptionist early yesterday who insisted that they absolutely couldn't see me until next week. I had logged a request with EConsult on thursday with a suspected ear infection. They keep fobbing us off with 'ask a pharmacist' even though I know perfectly well that the pharmacist can't help with anything requiring a prescription. A GP did ring me later in the day and told me to come in on Monday but I was lucky not to miss the call. I happened to be by the phone.

How did your son go about getting the appointment with the private GP? The services which I have seen advertised require you to deregister from the NHS practice first.

[Minicat]

It’s alarming to think that patients might not be getting the level of care they need due to a focus on profit over quality. I've always believed that healthcare should prioritize patient welfare above everything else.

In my experience with running an insurance company, I've seen the benefits of outsourcing certain functions. We've worked with insurance BPO providers, and it helped us manage costs and improve efficiency without compromising service quality. However, it's crucial that these providers maintain high standards and adequate supervision to ensure customer satisfaction and safety.

I hope the NHS takes these findings seriously and ensures that patient care remains the top priority. It’s vital that any outsourcing in healthcare maintains strict oversight and quality control to protect patients.

[CLKD]

Agreed.   Vet Surgeries are more and more tied in with big pet food companies.

[getting_old]

Agreed.   Vet Surgeries are more and more tied in with big pet food companies.

It wouldn't be so bad if the food they were pushing was any good, but it's trash  It's like the flea stuff they sell. A number of years ago our vets got a new product that they were pretty much forcing onto customers, and it didn't work!!! and they refused to even refund the cost never mind help address the problems it caused 

[CLKD]

morning getting_old.   When 'frontline' was first developed my little cat was really ill  but the Vet denied that the product was the cause!  Also pets don't need all these chemicals on an 'in case' basis, I never put flea products on my dog unless she had them, nor was she wormed.