Boots, Virgin and Sainsbury’s are just a few of the private companies that have already been awarded contracts within the National Health Service for their involvement with large independent treatment centres. The latest company to join them is USA based UnitedHealth who will now become the main advisor to the NHS on primary care trust spending, after they agreed a deal with NHS bosses this week. Many people have expressed concerns over the increasing amount of privatisation in the health service, but with claims that the NHS is reaching retiring age as it turns 60 this month, it may be inevitable that privatised health care is the way forward in the 21^st century. Seven million people already have a private health insurance policy in the UK and it seems that this number will continue to increase.

The deal with UnitedHealth is the second of its kind to be agreed by the Department of Health just this year, after BUPA’s contract in Hillingdon earlier in 2008. UnitedHealth already run doctors services in both Derbyshire and Camden and are looking to expand further across the UK to allow more patients to benefit from a private style of health care. John Parkes, chief executive of Northamptonshire Teaching PCT told GP website, ‘Pulse’, that the knowledge of a private company will benefit their services. ‘FESC (Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners) is about bringing in the expertise of a leading global organisation to improve our capacity and capability and we’re delighted to have chosen UnitedHealth UK to work in partnership with us.’