Talking as someone working in a PFI hospital (EBME was retained) it amazes me what our PFI partners consider to be their core service to the Trust and what is an extra that needs charging for.
I am also amazed by what the PFI agreement says and wonder how so much was missed by the so called experts that wrote and signed the deal.
I am firmly against the privatisation of any service in the NHS; if an outside agency can run the service better than it is currently being run, then equally it must be possible to improve the way the internal service is run.
Having said that once an agreement with your MES is signed the Trust "Management" can not come a long and say "oh your budget has been reduced by 20%" or "when your staff leave you can not replace them" or what is even more common "from this date you need to do this additional work" with no more staff or money.
Lee
