However, the NHS is far from perfect, and i don't understand the fear of the private sector being used to supply some of the free healthcare that the NHS provides.
If i understand correctly, GP's get paid per patient, whether they see a patient or not. I'd be interested to know on average how many times per year a person has an appointment with a GP to understand if it is good value for money.
The problem with the private sector contracting out work is that they will only take the low risk higher value work such as knee, hip, opthamology etc. This more valuable work is used to subsidise the less profitable or costly work so if the NHS Hspitals are deprived of this - how can they cover their costs. When you have complications in a private hospital - what do they do? They take you into the NHS hospitals.
So when you reduce the NHS capacity by contracting out - you lose control over reshaping services. It was said a million times you need integrated care - and this piecemail contracting out ends costing more and is less flexbile- the medical staff and administrators knew this but the pig headed politicians were slower on the uptake.
The internal market was a silly idea pushed by the Tories - it creates the wrong incentives. The market system is great but its not the solution to all issues of allocating economic resources.
As to is £150 value for money - I find that hilarious. An older person may see the GP a few times a month. By having a simple formula based on patient numbers its far easer to admin and pay.
But lets take an example where you are paid on the risk profile of the patient. So tell me how are you going to value patient A 65 with diabetes, CKD, diverticulitis with another person who is 75 but with type 2 diabtes, high bp, COPD?
So is going to crunch the data -expensive Actuaries - which will be adding more in admin costs. The US system spends 25% of their costs on admin as they want to cost everything out.
It's the fetishism with all you need to do is charge people and the market system will prevail. It doesn't work in certain situations and industries and best two examples are healthcare and education.
The refrain the NHS is far from perfect - tell me which system is?