THE ROW over the controversial decision to offer a contract for NHS musculoskeletal services to a private company rumbles on, despite Bupa CSH pulling out of the West Sussex deal.
Health bosses have admitted they could have done more to explain to the public how they came to the decision and what the next steps would be after making the announcement at the start of October.
As Coastal West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group works out what its next steps are, it is obvious lessons must be learned from what has happened here.
In this case, the potential impact the change would have on NHS services was only made clear when campaigners pointed it out and a full assessment was carried out.
Contracting out NHS services to private companies is always going to be controversial and it is vital the public is kept fully informed about the reasons for potential changes every step of the way.
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