Last month, Allyson Pollock warned in an article for the New Statesman that the development of accountable care organisations represents an attack on the fundamental principles of the NHS. Hers is one of a number of voices arguing that accountable care will result in private companies playing a bigger part in running NHS services and is occurring without proper public and parliamentary debate.
The reality is rather different and more prosaic. The areas of England leading the development of accountable care are doing so in response to the huge pressures on the NHS. Hospitals in particular are struggling to cope with growing numbers of people with complex needs presenting at A&E departments. Senior doctors have stated that patients are dying unnecessarily as staff try to manage ever growing workloads.
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