NHS Fife has been accused of “privatising by stealth” the healthcare of hundreds of patients.
Cowdenbeath MSP Alex Rowley has taken up the case of an Inverkeithing woman who has worries over being transferred, without her knowledge, from the NHS to a private company.
Not only is neurology patient Patricia Foster deeply worried about her unwitting transfer to Medinet but she has serious concerns about the standard of treatment she has received since.
To try to find out how widespread the use of private firms is, Mr Rowley lodged a 14-point Freedom of Information request.
However, he has been “shocked” after the board failed to answer a single question.
“It is not acceptable for any person in Fife to be treated the way my constituent has been treated by NHS Fife,” he said.
“How many more are being treated in this way, given their refusal to answer any questions? It is privatisation by stealth”.
The health authority told the politician it was unable to provide the information due to the number of local, national and international companies it deals with and the cost of accumulating that information would be more than the limit set by the act.
However, Mr Rowley said: “If they were having any difficulty with any of the questions, they had a duty under FOI to come back to me and discuss but they have not.”
In response to The Courier yesterday, NHS Fife admitted Medinet had been used for more than 700 outpatient appointments between April 1 and the end of last month alone.
Its medical director, Dr Brian Montgomery, said: “It is common and accepted practice in NHS Scotland to use private companies to provide additional capacity if and when required.
“Medinet is one of the companies we use along with others when necessary to enable us to continue to provide appropriate timely care. This does not equate to privatisation.
“We currently have two vacancies for consultant neurologists. We continue to try to recruit to these posts but neurology is a speciality in which there are recruitment challenges nationally.
“We are aware of Miss Foster’s concerns and we have been in direct contact with her. We would be happy to have further discussions with her about her concerns.”
It was due to staffing shortages that Mrs Foster was moved to Medinet.
Dr Gordon Birnie, associate medical director, said: “I recognise that this is not an ideal situation but it is a pragmatic solution to a workforce problem.”