Difference between revisions of "Simon Stevens"

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[[Simon Stevens]], Executive vice president of [[UnitedHealth]] Group is a former Downing St adviser.
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'''Simon Stevens''' is the CEO of [[NHS England]].
  
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:Almost two years after vacating his post, Stevens is still on the select list of people invited to dine with Blair at Chequers. As health policy advisor to [[Frank Dobson]], [[Alan Milburn]] and [[Tony Blair]], Stevens was widely seen as the author of the NHS Plan, which in 2000 set course towards increased privatisation and market-style reforms. Stepping out of Downing Street in 2004, he moved swiftly and seamlessly into the private sector. He had been in touch with [[UnitedHealth]] (UHE) Europe for the previous two years, during which time they landed their first NHS contract.
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==Career==
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Stevens joined the [[NHS]] through it's graduate training scheme in 1988. He has held a number of senior NHS roles in the North East, London and the South Coast.<ref name="NHS"> NHS England [http://www.england.nhs.uk/about/whos-who/ Who's who], accessed 10 April 2015.</ref>
  
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:Stevens is now reportedly pocketing a salary of £150,000 as president of [[UnitedHealth]] Europe, and his bosses in the US clearly feel it is worth paying so highly for his services. As the architect behind the controversial ‘modernisation’ of the NHS, Stevens has a clear view of the most promising and profitable targets for UHE’s activities. Not surprisingly, UHE has not even bothered trying to replicate its role in private health insurance, which is a mainstay of its highly profitable US parent company – whose annual turnover is almost £16 billion. The existence of the NHS with its universal health cover has left private medical insurance as a relatively marginal activity in the UK, covering just 12 per cent of the population.
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In 1997 he joined the UK [[Department of Health]] as an adviser to secretary of state for health [[Alan Milburn]] and [[Frank Dobson]]. During his time as secretary of state, Milburn is known for his privatisation reforms and his three aides (including Stevens) have all gone on to work for companies benefitting from the privatisation of the health service. In 2001 he was the health adviser to Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] at 10 Downing Street. The ''Financial Times'' describes Stevens as 'a key architect, along with Mr Milburn and Mr Blair – to whom he went on to serve as health adviser – of the reforms that for the first time broke up the NHS monolith, introducing privately run treatment centres'. He is seen as the author of the NHS Plan in 2000 which set the course towards increased privatisation and market-style reforms.<ref name="SP"> Tamasin Cave [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/lobbying/item/5759-the-privatising-cabal-at-the-heart-of-our-nhs The privatising cabal at the heart of our NHS] ''Spinwatch'', 1 April 2015, accessed 10 April 2015.</ref>
  
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:Instead, like a shark scenting fresh blood, UHE, steered by Stevens and by its chief executive, former [[British Medical Journal]] editor, Richard Smith, has zeroed in on much bigger prey – the juicy prospect of controlling hundreds of millions of pounds in the commissioning budgets of primary care trusts. The possibility of opening up this vast source of income for companies such as UHE was created by New Labour’s determined efforts to establish market-style competition in the health service – as proposed by Simon Stevens. Still only 39, Stevens’ career has been characterised by a whistle-stop progress. His university education was at Oxford, Strathclyde and New York’s Ivy League Columbia university. According to his CV on the UHE website, he has since managed to slot in appearances as a ‘health authority director, general manager of a mental health service, and a group manager at Guy’s and St Thomas’s university hospitals’ in addition to working in Africa, South America and the USA. All this before spending seven years as the government’s health policy advisor from the age of 30.
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After leaving government, Stevens joined US healthcare giant [[UnitedHealth]] - who he had been in contact with for the previous two years, during which time they landed their first NHS contract.<ref name="JL"/> At first Stevens was put on selling UH services to European health systems, he was then appointed vice president and lobbyist for the whole UH Group. Stevens saw subsequently appointed president of its global health division and led health services in the United States, Europe, Brazil, India, China, Africa and the Middle East. As president he was reportedly pocketing a £150,000 salary.<ref name="SP"/><ref name="NHS"/>
  
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:Having acquired a passing acquaintance with sections of the NHS, Stevens now writes regularly for the influential management weekly, Health Service Journal, and has also managed to secure himself an academic niche as visiting professor at the London School of Economics. The LSE connection also furnished the government with Stevens’ successor as health advisor, the rabidly pro-market [[Julian Le Grand]]. Stevens, whose official biographical notes say that his policy interests include ‘strengthening the healthcare “payer”/purchaser function’, has shown himself a much smoother operator than Le Grand, whose appointment as health advisor triggered a noisy moan from public sector unions. Stevens and [[Richard Smith]] have been willing to meet and debate with [[Unison]] and other unions, attempting to present an acceptable face of commercial medicine and privatised care.<ref>John Lister '[http://www.redpepper.org.uk/KYE/x-kye-Mar2006.htm Simon Stevens and his amazing dancing balance sheet]' Red Pepper, March 2006.</ref>
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On Steven's time at UH, John Lister says:
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:'Not surprisingly UH did not even bothered trying to replicate its role in private health insurance, which is a mainstay of its highly profitable US parent company – whose annual turnover is almost £16 billion. The existence of the NHS with its universal health cover has left private medical insurance as a relatively marginal activity in the UK, covering just 12 per cent of the population.
  
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:'Instead, like a shark scenting fresh blood, UHE, steered by Stevens and by its chief executive, former [[British Medical Journal]] editor, [[Richard Smith (Health)|Richard Smith]], has zeroed in on much bigger prey – the juicy prospect of controlling hundreds of millions of pounds in the commissioning budgets of primary care trusts. The possibility of opening up this vast source of income for companies such as UHE was created by New Labour’s determined efforts to establish market-style competition in the health service – as proposed by Simon Stevens.'<ref name="JL">John Lister [http://www.redpepper.org.uk/simon-stevens-undertaker-for-the-nhs Simon Stevens: undertaker for the NHS]' Red Pepper, February 2006, accessed 10 April 2015.</ref>
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Stevens returned to the UK in 2014 as CEO of the NHS, and is the man currently running the show.<ref name="SP"/>
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In 2014 Stevens was ranked by the ''[[Health Service Journal]]'' as the most powerful person in healthcare.<ref> Health Service Journal [http://www.hsj.co.uk/leadership/top-leaders/hsj100/ Top 100], accessed 10 April 2015.</ref>
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===Milburn's aides===
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[[File:CorporateCaptureRoundtable.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The corporate capture of the NHS]]
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Between 1997 and 2000 Stevens was one of the then secretary of state for health [[Alan Milburn]]'s aides, with [[Andrew Harrison]] and [[Tony Sampson]]. In 2004 Stevens moved to America and spent a decade working for [[UnitedHealth]] eventually becoming vice president of the UH Group, he then moved back to the UK in 2014 as the CEO of the [[NHS]]. In 2005 Sampson was [[UnitedHealth]]'s chief lobbyist in the UK and Harrison's current employers, [[Hanover Communications]], have 'lobbied for [[UnitedHealth]] since at least 2007'.<ref name="SP"/>
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In early 2015 [[UnitedHealth]] were bidding on a number of NHS privatised contracts.<ref> Caroline Molloy [https://opendemocracy.net/ournhs/caroline-molloy/leak-reveals-worrying-truth-behind-biggest-nhs-privatisation-yet Leak reveals worrying truth behind the biggest NHS privatisation yet] ''Open Democracy'', 16 March 2015, accessed 10 April 2015.</ref>
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==Education==
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*[[University of Oxford]]
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*[[Strathclyde University]]
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*[[Columbia University]]<ref name="JL"/>
  
 
==Affiliations==
 
==Affiliations==
 
*[[King's Fund]]
 
*[[King's Fund]]
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==Resources==
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See: [[The Corporate Capture of the NHS]]
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*Tamasin Cave, [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/lobbying/item/5759-the-privatising-cabal-at-the-heart-of-our-nhs The privatising cabal at the heart of our NHS] ''Spinwatch'', 1 April 2015.
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==Notes==
 
==Notes==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
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[[Category:Healthcare Industry]]
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[[Category:Healthcare Industry|Stevens, Simon]][[Category:Revolving Door|Stevens, Simon]][[Category:Healthcare Industry people|Stevens, Simon]][[Category:Health|Stevens, Simon]][[Category:Oxford alumni|Stevens, Simon]]

Latest revision as of 12:20, 8 June 2017

FirstAid.png This article is part of the Health Portal project of Spinwatch.
Revolving Door.jpg This article is part of the Revolving Door project of Spinwatch.



Simon Stevens is the CEO of NHS England.

Career

Stevens joined the NHS through it's graduate training scheme in 1988. He has held a number of senior NHS roles in the North East, London and the South Coast.[1]

In 1997 he joined the UK Department of Health as an adviser to secretary of state for health Alan Milburn and Frank Dobson. During his time as secretary of state, Milburn is known for his privatisation reforms and his three aides (including Stevens) have all gone on to work for companies benefitting from the privatisation of the health service. In 2001 he was the health adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street. The Financial Times describes Stevens as 'a key architect, along with Mr Milburn and Mr Blair – to whom he went on to serve as health adviser – of the reforms that for the first time broke up the NHS monolith, introducing privately run treatment centres'. He is seen as the author of the NHS Plan in 2000 which set the course towards increased privatisation and market-style reforms.[2]

After leaving government, Stevens joined US healthcare giant UnitedHealth - who he had been in contact with for the previous two years, during which time they landed their first NHS contract.[3] At first Stevens was put on selling UH services to European health systems, he was then appointed vice president and lobbyist for the whole UH Group. Stevens saw subsequently appointed president of its global health division and led health services in the United States, Europe, Brazil, India, China, Africa and the Middle East. As president he was reportedly pocketing a £150,000 salary.[2][1]

On Steven's time at UH, John Lister says:

'Not surprisingly UH did not even bothered trying to replicate its role in private health insurance, which is a mainstay of its highly profitable US parent company – whose annual turnover is almost £16 billion. The existence of the NHS with its universal health cover has left private medical insurance as a relatively marginal activity in the UK, covering just 12 per cent of the population.
'Instead, like a shark scenting fresh blood, UHE, steered by Stevens and by its chief executive, former British Medical Journal editor, Richard Smith, has zeroed in on much bigger prey – the juicy prospect of controlling hundreds of millions of pounds in the commissioning budgets of primary care trusts. The possibility of opening up this vast source of income for companies such as UHE was created by New Labour’s determined efforts to establish market-style competition in the health service – as proposed by Simon Stevens.'[3]

Stevens returned to the UK in 2014 as CEO of the NHS, and is the man currently running the show.[2]

In 2014 Stevens was ranked by the Health Service Journal as the most powerful person in healthcare.[4]

Milburn's aides

The corporate capture of the NHS

Between 1997 and 2000 Stevens was one of the then secretary of state for health Alan Milburn's aides, with Andrew Harrison and Tony Sampson. In 2004 Stevens moved to America and spent a decade working for UnitedHealth eventually becoming vice president of the UH Group, he then moved back to the UK in 2014 as the CEO of the NHS. In 2005 Sampson was UnitedHealth's chief lobbyist in the UK and Harrison's current employers, Hanover Communications, have 'lobbied for UnitedHealth since at least 2007'.[2]

In early 2015 UnitedHealth were bidding on a number of NHS privatised contracts.[5]

Education

Affiliations

Resources

See: The Corporate Capture of the NHS

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 NHS England Who's who, accessed 10 April 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Tamasin Cave The privatising cabal at the heart of our NHS Spinwatch, 1 April 2015, accessed 10 April 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 John Lister Simon Stevens: undertaker for the NHS' Red Pepper, February 2006, accessed 10 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Health Service Journal Top 100, accessed 10 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Caroline Molloy Leak reveals worrying truth behind the biggest NHS privatisation yet Open Democracy, 16 March 2015, accessed 10 April 2015.
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