Private NHS contracts worth £250,000,000 were signed this week according to Labour's health spokesman Andy Burnham in a speech during the Labour party conference.

Burnham said that the Government had moved to a “market in healthcare” with increased privatisation of the NHS, he citied contracts including Arriva non-emergency ambulance services and Parkwood Healthcare’s patient advocacy groups services contract.

Burnham voiced concern that privatisation had seen "care being fragmented and services becoming disjointed".