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Camelot to run NHS
1 Jun 2002
The Health Secretary Alan Milburn announced his latest plans on how to bring the private sector into the NHS today. From November, the NHS will be part-owned and controlled by Camelot, subject to EU and regulatory approval.
Explaining his decision, Mr Milburn praised the National Lottery operator's work in successfully reducing the number of tickets sold over the last eight years. "We hope they will be able to do a similar sort of thing with hospital waiting lists," he added.
Camelot's Chief Executive, Dianne Thompson, has some "radical ideas" to get the NHS back on its feet. "One of the first changes patients will notice is an expansion in the infamous postcode lottery," she said this morning. "With the regulator's consent, we intend to change it from an informal agreement between health authorities to a national competition. Punters will be able to watch a Saturday night programme, fronted by Dale Winton, to see if they will get the operation or medication they need. It will all be very exciting!"
If the initial trials are a success, it is understood that Camelot may expand the postcode lottery further by adding a mid-week draw, provisionally named "The National Postcode Lottery: Waiting Lounge". Executives are also keen to introduce scratch cards and other games, including one determining how much anaesthetic patients will receive during major surgery.
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