Lib Dems want PFIhospital freeze

PFI hospital schemes are to be attacked at the Liberal Democrat conference with an amendment calling for a freeze on the use of private money in NHS hospitals.

Lib Dems claim that no "proper evaluation of PFI schemes in the NHS" has been conducted. The party will vote for an amendment that says "no further PFI schemes should be approved in the NHS" until a number of conditions, including a full evaluation of their benefit to the NHS, have been established.

The Lib Dems' motion says that PFI projects should pass four tests: value for money, quality, accountability and flexibility.

"This is ridiculous," said Rob Gill, PFI project manager at United Medical Enterprises. "Those four tests are written into all PFI contracts. A contract is not awarded unless those criteria are met."

Clare Edwards, legal director at the Construction Confederation, said the Lib Dems' claims about "proper evaluation" were inaccurate as there have been a number of evaluations and reports into PFI hospital schemes. The National Audit Office is due to publish a report this autumn examining how different departments are handling the management of their PFI contracts.

The GMB union will also attack PFI hospital schemes as it plans to exploit an obscure clause in the Local Government Act, which would force local people to be consulted over whether private companies should build and run hospitals in their area.