PLANS to put health services in the hands of a private company have been given the go-ahead by councillors.

Brighton and Hove City Council is seeking a private company to supply nursing equipment to care in the community residents – a service currently run by 15 staff at the Sussex Community Trust in Shoreham Harbour.

West Sussex County Council is working towards a new contract with an external provider. Health and Wellbeing Board members voted the proposals through at a Hove Town Hall meeting yesterday, which attracted protesters from Unison and GMB union members.

Four options were initially discussed with the unions. However, the proposals submitted contained only two options, both of which were generated from and by private providers.

GMB organiser Gary Palmer said: “They passed it and spent very little time on it. The officers weren’t asked to present anything further and the rest pushed it through.

“They were uninterested in any other option other than the first two on the proposal and won’t seek to return the officers to see whether we can provide any in-house service competitively.

“But we’ve come out with renewed energy and will press on.”