HEALTH bosses in Oldham say they are determined to resist privatisation of the NHS “by the back door”, despite claims they spent almost a fifth of their budget last year on outsourcing to private companies.

Leaders of the clinical commissioning group (CCG) were quizzed at their annual general meeting, held at Earl Mill, about how they spent their finances.

Attendee Caroline Bedale said her research into their accounts had shown that 18 per cent of CCG expenditure had gone on non-NHS providers.

Chief clinical officer, Dr John Patterson gave her his “personal assurance” that they were committed to the public sector model, but said there were some instances were partnership working was beneficial.

“We are absolutely opposed to privatisation by the back door, and I suspect that the private businesses that are trying to hover and go around and buy things are not going to be looking at Oldham first,” he said.

“The leadership that I recognise and know are committed to the public sector and committed to the NHS social care model.”

But he added he was a “little bit open” to the idea of some private investment, highlighting collaboration with cancer charity Macmillan as a positive example of “his tolerance level”.

“The NHS can’t advertise on bus stops for money, but Macmillan can. Here we are not in the business of privatisation,” he said.

The CCG also give funding to the Citizens Advice Bureau, food banks and to support obesity strategies in the borough.

Dr Patterson added: “I’m not too sure the majority of us would recognise that as a privatisation, us co-funding and being in partnership with organisations.”

But Ms Bedale, a retired health worker who lives in Oldham, said although the non-NHS spend did include charities and the voluntary sector, that proportion of the funding was “tiny”.

“The role of the voluntary sector when it’s really being the voluntary sector is very different from a profit seeking company,” she told the meeting.

“But it’s not the role of the voluntary sector, just like it shouldn’t be with the private sector, to actually deliver NHS or local authority services, that’s where I have a real problem.

“In Oldham over £7 million is spent with Pennine MSK, they’re a private company.

“That’s what I’m concerned about, it’s the money that’s been taken out of Oldham in profits and not being circulated and shared with the people of Oldham because it’s going to shareholders somewhere.”

Council chief executive, and accountable officer at the CCG, Carolyn Wilkins responded that they sometimes need to have cooperative services working together to get the best outcomes for residents.

She said: “Sometimes we recognise that public services are not best placed to deliver things, we can’t build the relationships with people, we get in the way actually but we have a cooperative service model which is underpinned by your bit, our bit, result.”