What is Bupa?
Bupa is a global health care organisation, based in over 190 countries. Its accounts for 2000-01 show it has assets worth £2, 750m, and annual income of £2,130m. It made pre-tax profits of £65.4m, up nearly a third on the previous year. It is a provident association, which means that any profits must be reinvested in health and health services. It owns 36 hospitals in the UK, plus 238 care homes, and private care insurance plans. Has old Labour learned to love the private sector? Suspicions still remain, although the unions have won some concessions on employment conditions for staff transferred to the private sector as part of PFI deals, which have softened attitudes. Leading Old-ish Labour backbencher and chairman of the Commons health committee, David Hinchliffe, spoke for many in the party a couple of years ago when he described the private health care industry as “bastards”. The committee has just launched an inquiry into the involvement of the private sector in the NHS and its fi
