Labour doctor helped award £11m in private sector contracts

Dr Mark Hayes is the Labour candidate for Selby and Ainsty and clinical leader at the NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning group.

In his election leaflets the candidate has told voters he will “fight against any future attempt at privatisation” in the health service.

The vow though has angered local Conservatives, who submitted a Freedom of Information request to Dr Hayes’s health group asking how much has awarded in contracts to health providers since the coalition’s Health and Social Care Act was introduced.

The request revealed two private sector contracts have been signed worth between them £11m a year. £8m is handed over for orthopaedics care and £3m for out of hours GP care.

The information was uncovered by Selby District Council’s Tory Ian Reynolds, who said it suggested a conflict in the Labour message.

Councillor Reynolds said: “Dr Hayes has either got no principles whatsoever, as he has delivered long overdue conservative NHS reforms while vowing to scrap them if he is an MP, or he is just a top level hypocrite, saying one thing as a would be politician and doing the other professionally.”

Dr Hayes said: “The level of hypocrisy from the Tories is staggering, to attack a clinical commissioning group for implementing the policy imposed on it by a Tory Prime Minister and Tory Health Secretary.

“I am proud of my record at Vale of York CCG. And I’m equally proud that I’m a candidate for a Labour Party that has pledged to repeal the Health and Social Care Act which has been the reason for services having to be put out to tender to private providers.”

The Labour candidate has faced an ongoing battle with Conservatives in the seat held by Nigel Adams over his work on the CCG.

Last year it emerged the Vale of York was one of the only areas in England not to offer IVF treatment.

Dr Hayes was unable to vote in favour of a move to change that rule because his candidacy meant he had to abstain from some decision making. The IVF rule has since been changed to allow one cycle of treatment.

In his election material Dr Hayes says he has worked hard in his role to make local health services more efficient.

He tells voters he understands the challenges facing the NHS and will “fight for a health service that is properly funded, efficiently run and puts patients first.”