ESSU Research Paper No 1: A Typology of Privatisation and Marketisation by Dexter Whitfield

A paper setting out a four part typology of privatisation and marketisation. The typology provides examples and explanation of the different types of privatisation and marketisation; methods; political, social and economic objectives; and the impact on the state and public services. The different forms of privatisation and marketisation do not take place in isolation. They are part of a broader restructuring of the state in the interests of capital. The paper sets out a four-part typology of privatisation and marketisation of public services providing a examples of each: Marketisation of global public goods; Marketisation and privatisation of assets and services; Privatisation of governance and democracy; and Privatisation of the public domain

Options Appraisal Opposes Outsourcing and Offshoring of Prescription Pricing Division, NHS Business Services Authority

ESSU was commissioned by UNISON Northern to prepare a detailed report on a PPD/KPMG proposal to outsource and offshore prescription processing. This comprehensive report examines value for money, risk assessment, insourcing trends, public cost analysis and other issues. A decision to outsource was expected in November 2006 but has been postponed indefinitly following intervention by the Health Minister.

The Prescription Pricing Division (PPD) of the NHS Business Services Authority is responsible for the processing and payment of prescriptions from GPs and 10,000 pharmacists. It provides an important financial, prescribing and drug information service to over 35,000 prescribers in England; the help with health costs service to over 5m patients annually and operates the European Health Insurance Card. The PPD processes 755m items on NHS prescriptions annually which have a direct bearing on the £8 billion NHS drugs bill.

Revised Employment Risk Matrix

The European Services Strategy Unit has devised an Employment Risk Matrix which assesses the degree of changes in four categories of risk. The four categories considered are: Risk of changes to terms and conditions of service; Pensions arrangements (not covered by TUPE regulations); Risk of changes to staff consultation and representation; and Risk of problems with secondment agreement.