A NURSING union says many mainstream NHS services in the region are being lined up for privatisation without public knowledge or consent.

A survey of North-East NHS groups by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found that a wide range of services provided by NHS staff were being put out to tender.

In the past year, the RCN has calculated that the NHS put out tenders in the region to the value of more than £53m.

RCN regional director Glenn Turp said: “I am extremely concerned that the public and patients are probably not aware of the sheer scale of NHS services that are now being put out to tender across the region.”

He said the RCN’s research showed there was “a fundamental shift” in what was being put out to tender.

Mr Turp said that while people were used to some NHS services, such as GP surgeries and dentistry, being provided by private companies, “this does not mean that the public supports ‘mission creep’ or discreet privatisations of other NHS services”.

He said the public was “deeply sceptical of the private sector being able to take over NHS services and provide the same high-quality NHS services with the same value for money”.

The RCN said that: ● NHS Tees is putting out to tender a £20m, five-year contract for the delivery of all sexual health services across the area; ● NHS Tees said it was considering putting out to tender chronic obstructive pulmonary disease services, community endoscopy services, mental health advocacy services and the supply of home oxygen therapy services; ● NHS County Durham and Darlington has put a £6m three-year contract to provide a psychological therapies service out to tender; ● In October last year, NHS County Durham and Darlington put a £430,000 contract for community dermatology and skin surgery out to tender.

Elaine Wyllie, the assistant director of procurement for NHS Tees, said: “Both out-ofhours and sexual health service models were developed in consultation with stakeholders, service users and the public.

Following a procurement process, Northern Doctors Urgent Care – a not-for-profit GPled community benefit society – has been commissioned to provide out-of-hours and Assura Stockton Limited Liability Partnership has been awarded the contract to provide sexual health services across Teesside.

“It is intended that the integrated sexual health services model will be implemented from February 1.”