BMA considers asking patients to opt out of using private providers

The BMA is to consider asking patients to support a boycott of private providers in a bid to disrupt the government’s competition agenda in healthcare.

The campaign would involve a “patient pledge” card that patients would give to their GPs if they would rather not be given the option of private providers when publicly run NHS services can treat them just as well.

The BMA’s governing council will consider the idea in November, after the General Practitioners Committee has explored details of the plan, such as how the …