They were informed about the plans on the same day that Health Secretary Alan Johnson told the House of Commons he would limit the role of the private sector in the NHS.
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Mr Johnson, who visited Kingston with Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the end of June, made an announcement on July 25 that he would halt the expansion of the Government’s “stand alone” private surgery centres.

The centres were set up in an attempt to cut NHS waiting lists, but instead attracted criticism over costs and quality of care.

Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley accused him of indulging in a “spin operation” to reassure the concerns of those opposed to the use of the private sector, while actually extending its involvement in the NHS.

But Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb warned: “The Government’s fingerprints appear to be all over this.

“It is impossible to imagine the new Prime Minister and Health Secretary would not have known about this, so one must assume it is a pilot to explore new ways of bringing the private sector into the heart of the NHS.”

Staff have been told that the survival of the hospital can only be secured if a private sector company with “significant experience in marketing” is brought in to run services and attract patients from further afield.

Although a new tier of private managers will be enlisted under the contract, the hospital claimed existing NHS managers will not lose their jobs.

Doctors and nurses will remain on NHS contracts, though their “working practices” may change.

Some hospital staff said they were unclear how a private company would turn a profit.

Midwife and Unison branch secretary Nora Pearce said: “We have been told that our terms and conditions will be the same and that the facilities will be the same, so how are they going to make money? These companies aren’t there to be altruistic.”

Geoff Martin, campaigns director at pressure group London Health Emergency, said Kingston was planning “NHS privatisation on a far wider and deeper scale than we have ever seen before”.

He said the Government was guilty of “rank hypocrisy, to suggest it was rowing back on use of the private sector when a major trust is embarking on privatisation on an unprecedented scale.”

The British Medical Association’s consultants committee described the initiative as a “very significant” step.

Deputy chairman Alan Russell said the scheme “crossed a line,” with the private sector replacing NHS services rather than simply helping to bring down waiting lists.

From:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/05/nhs105.xml

Health Direct asks if Alan Johnson is the latest in a long line of labour Health minister who have been caught lying to Parliament?

On 26 July 07 in Alan Johnson blocks new wave of private health clinics it appeared that the health secretary, Alan Johnson, yesterday vetoed plans for a third wave of independent sector treatment centres to compete with NHS hospitals.

However the privatisation of Kingston’s operating theatres seems to contradict the Health Secretary’s promise to the House of Commons.