Clive Lewis For Norwich South
Octagon Healthcare which built the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital reported record profits last year, as it was paid more than £62m by the hospital. Despite paying Octagon tens of millions of pounds a year, the amount the N&N owes is only reducing by around £3m each year as much of the money is taken up by interest repayments and running costs. Local print media asked me to comment and here is what I said:
“Here we go again. Surely COVID-19 has shown beyond doubt our NHS should focus wholly on keeping us well and making us better if we fall ill. Government needs to stop pretending our health service is some kind of quasi business in which vital local institutions like the N&N are continually preyed upon by rapacious speculators like Octagon.
Let’s end this farce now by taking all of the market nonsense out of health and our public services, review all PFI contracts and, if necessary, take over outstanding contracts and bring them back in-house.”