Rejected petition GP fund holders should not be able to refer patients in which they have financial interests to avoid speculation of possible conflicts of interests

GP budget holders may be accused of conflicts of interests when deciding whether to refer their patients to the private healthcare company it which they happen to have financial interests in. HMG buying services (like catering, cleaning, IT, healthcare) from private companies should need careful audit & monitoring for value. Private enterprises usually need good profits for their owners, directors and shareholders. Therefore sometimes, effective management by experienced professionals employed in-house by the government can be cheaper & more effective. This is also have the effect of retaining experienced expertise in-house. Take an analogy of a private company being given an open cheque by a customer to run a forest, develop an IT system or repair a car. If not properly supervised expertly by the customer, this may result in creative accounting by the private company for services rendered, performing further expensive unnecessary work. Therefore proper checks & audits are required.