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by Lamiat Sabin
MEDICAL care provided by private firms was rated significantly worse than that offered by the NHS, a study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine revealed yesterday.
Health companies have “consistently worse” competency levels in almost all areas studied by Imperial College researchers, despite the coalition making £20 billion worth of NHS spending cuts and major structural reforms after taking power in 2010.
NHS GPs came out on top for 15 out of 17 various performance indicators.
Alternative providers, who have secured a third of contracts from the NHS to deliver clinical services, also had higher hospital admission rates for chronic diseases and conditions.
Lead author Dr Christopher Millett said: “The lesson is that increasing diversity does not necessarily lead to better quality.”
The study concluded that the “patterns of poor performance are concerning and merit further examination,” even when taking into account population and practice differences.
