Jon Dale, Secretary, Unite Nottinghamshire Health Branch
Labour’s shadow health minister, Wes Streeting, seems to have expensive taste in opera – or he would if he had to pay for his tickets. This summer he was fortunate to get tickets to Glyndebourne opera worth £600, thanks to the generosity of FGS Global.
Why should a multinational public relations company want to help Streeting enjoy a night out? Could it have anything to do with their client, Optum UK – a subsidiary of US giant corporation, United Health?
Optum is taking over EMIS for £1.2 billion. EMIS is a healthcare software system widely used in GP practices, community health services, A&Es and pharmacies. Control of this huge amount of health data could be a very valuable resource for United Health.
The Competition and Markets Authority, which has to approve the takeover, has raised a concern so the date for takeover completion has been extended until 30 June 2024 – when Streeting may well be Secretary of State for Health!
