A sign of out times is that many healthcare recruitment agencies and education recruitment agencies are looking more and more at the private sector.

This in fact is probably the right move to make, with many public bodies now trying to outsource as much of there operations as possible, to make the cuts that are requested by them. Capita, the UK’s largest outsourcing firm, has already stated the number of local authority contracts, have increased dramatically and they expect this only to rise.

 This increase could generate £60m for the firm, whilst the local authority will adhere to the 30% cuts in budget it needs to realise over the next 3 years. The new fiscal policies have also meant that many private firms are looking at the UK and rubbing there hands, even those as far away as India. Many companies see this as an opportunity as providing a cheaper option for the local authority and it wouldn’t be a surprise if some services are conducted overseas.

Unison spokesperson Karen Jennings, did put an air of caution with the private sector bonanza and especially pointed to healthcare. Her reservations were that if this route took momentum then private healthcare providers could eventually have more power than the NHS and start dictating which services will be provided based on profitability and what to charge for this service. A system that goes against the very principal of the NHS.