Commodifying health care

The UK's National Health Service and the Independent Sector Treatment Centre Programme

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21189765
AutoresStewart Player (0000-0001-9493-8048, Queen's University), Stewart Player Stewart Player, Colin Leys (0000-0002-3832-3097, Queen's University), Colin Leys Colin Leys
Año2008
Volumen2
Número2
Fecha de publicación2008-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaWork Organisation Labour & Globalisation (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1745-641X • E-ISSN: 1745-6428
EditorialPluto Journals (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.13169/workorgalaboglob.2.2.0009
OpenAlexW2334876382
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas1

Since the year 2000 successive British governments have pushed ahead with the transformation of the National Health Service into a health care market with a strong component of for-profit provision. Focusing on the crucial first step in the privatisation of clinical services, this article examines how the four key requirements for the commodification of a public service were fulfilled — first, breaking up health care into standardised units that could be priced; second, inducing the public to use the new commodified services; third, inducing the workforce to work for shareholders; and fourth, getting the state to underwrite the risk involved. What emerges is a story of the deep penetration of the UK state by the private health care industry, including major players with a serious history of fraud

Business · Commodification · Economic growth · Economics · Economy · Health care · Political science · Private sector · Public health · Public relations · Public sector · Workforce · Health Services Management and Policy · Healthcare Quality and Management · Healthcare Systems and Challenges · Medicine · Nursing · Public Administration