West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper has reacted with outrage to West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group's decision to appoint private health company, Virgin Care to run both urgent care and community health services across the borough.

MP Rosie believes the decision is a slap in the face to local NHS providers and to the strength of residents' opposition to the privatisation of their health services.

From the outset West Lancashire CCG have been hell bent on taking these contracts off the current provider, Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust. It has been their intention to destabilise the hospital trust.

Responding to the announcement by the CCG, MP Rosie Cooper said:
"West Lancashire CCG have got their way on the urgent care and community health services contracts by awarding them to a private company.

"They're all talk about integrating services but having asked the CCG many questions, their actions don't match their words.

"This entire process has been conducted without sufficient openness and transparency and without any obvious consideration to the future of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust.

"The CCG have ignored the thousands of West Lancashire residents who expressed their opposition to a private company running frontline health services by signing petitions, campaigning and asking questions.

"Now the contract has been awarded it is time for the CCG to open the books on this entire process. Time to show us exactly on what basis local GPs decided to privatise our services and damage our local hospital.

"Already Virgin Care are showing themselves to be distant and anonymous with an unidentified spokesperson being quoted in the West Lancashire CCG press release announcing their decision. I suspect this is the shape of things to come. Anonymous and detached from the people they are supposed to be here to care for and serve.

"If people are failed because of West Lancashire CCG's decision then I will expect those responsible for this awful decision to be offering their resignations.

"My message to the people of West Lancashire is simple. If these services fail you, let me know!"

The woman's a muppet. The current NHS Trust has had a terrible record - gross misconduct verdicts and is still rated as "requires improvement". Why give them more business until they are competent? Better to try something new. Typical Labour whining.

It is always better to try something different rather than plodding
along day to day. As I have said before the last thing the NHS needs is money.
Start to apply charges for a visit to your doctor or outpatients. you want an ambulance pay a small charge. It will cut out a lot
time wasters.