In early 2020, the private firm Livi was awarded a one-year contract to carry out virtual consultations in Primary Care in North Tyneside. This is undoubtedly part of a very slippery privatisation slope: Livi claims to be Europe’s largest digital healthcare provider.
North Tyneside CCG has now evaluated this one-year pilot period, and has decided to “extend the Livi pilot contract while it procures a ‘Complementary GP Video Consultation Service’ for North Tyneside”. North Tyneside CCG website (September 2021)
Unsurprisingly, members of KONPNE remain angry that North Tyneside CCG have seen fit to extend this contract to this private business for a further and unspecified period, and members remain wary that the future procurement of this or a similar service will firmly embed privatised services within Primary Care across the Borough. “We do not see the evidence that “Livi” has been a great addition as a complementary service. What we see is a predatory private company with its foot wedged in the door of Primary Care in North Tyneside and an ambition to further expand its service” KONPNE (3rd November 2021)
There is no doubt that our Primary Care services require more resources and investment, and this should now be provided to existing, localised GP services – North Tyneside CCG should not be wasting taxpayers money by contracting out to private, profit making companies with shareholders.
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for the latest update, newspaper report and the recent KONPNE response to North Tyneside CCGs “evaluation” of Livi (3rd November 2021)
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to read the CCG “evaluation” and for all other documents, reports, campaign actions and photos from KONPNE regarding Livi and NHS privatisation in North Tyneside Primary Care
konpnortheast.com 