Prevent the creation of the Health Act 2010

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The idea

The planned Health Act 2010 will de-nationalise the NHS and will give the EU control over healthcare  provision in the UK. Section 4.27 says that NHS providers (that is, NHS hospitals) will be subject to competition law and the Office of Fair Trading and Monitor will enforce this. The effect of this will make hospitals subject to EU competiton laws and hence the EU Commissioner for Competition (Joaquín Almunia) will have the powers over healthcare provision and will be able to close your local NHS hospital.

Why is it important?

Health is vitally important to all of us. Private providers are more expensive than NHS providers but competition law may be applied to impose a private provider. (Company Law says that private companies must be run for the benefit of shareholders; NHS providers are always run for the benefit of patients).

There is no electoral mandate for these changes in the NHS, The Conservatives did not tell the electorate that this is what they would impose. So it is vital for democracy that a government is not allowed to impose a law with no electoral mandate.

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