One in Six Labour Peers have financial interests in companies involved in Private Healthcare

If the Labour party are to make sure they are in a stronger position to criticise the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats over healthcare privatisation, then they need to have a word with some of their own Peers before the election.

In the last piece of research into peers of all parties, Social Investigations can reveal that amongst the Labour party, 37 out of 238 Lords have financial interests in companies involved in private healthcare. This represents 15% of the total, which amounts to 1 in 6, which is the same percentage as the Crossbench Peers; less than the Conservatives, but more than the Liberal Democrats.

The party, which moved to the right under Tony Blair, is in no position to thrown stones. As with all the other parties, the connections vary. Some have shares in companies; others are directors, advisors or chairman. Some of the peers work for a Conservative peer owned company, just like a Liberal Democrat peer has shares in a Conservative owned party.

Labour has promised to repeal the bill, if that is so, then great, but how many of their own Peers will be that keen to do so on this list? Although they towed the party line on this occasion, will some of them be internally negotiating to water down any changes if Labour gets back into power?

An e-petition has been set up which is here - http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/31991 - if you can please sign it to stop Lords voting on their own interests, this would go some way to prevent their behaviour.
 

Labour Lords

1. Baroness Billingham: Regular contributions to Cumberlege Connections a training company for training NHS personnel and is a political networking firm that works "extensively" with the pharmaceutical industry.

2. Lord Carter: The head of the increasingly influential Competition and Cooperation Panel, is an adviser to Warburg Pincus International Ltd, a private equity firm with significant investments in the healthcare industry. Chairman Patrick Carter, or Lord Carter of Coles to give him his full title, was the founder of Westminster Health Care, a leading private nursing home company. He is also the Chair of McKesson Information Solutions Ltd, which delivers IT to “virtually every NHS organisation”, the chair of Primary Group Ltd, a Bermudan based private equity company, and a substantial shareholder in, among other companies, B-Plan Information Systems Ltd, which has also benefited from the increased need for large scale IT systems that the introduction of an internal market to the NHS has brought with it (see the interview with Frank Wood, of King’s foundation trust, where B-Plan has worked, in the last news update). Carter’s register of interests in the House of Lords also lists him as an adviser to Warburg Pincus International Ltd, a private equity firm, which has significant investments in the healthcare industry. It even rescued United Healthcare from financial ruin in 1987 and helped it to become one of the largest healthcare companies in the world. He can now help it to become one of the biggest beneficiaries of the government’s reforms. - http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=3934

3. Viscount Chandos: Director of investment management company Sand Eire limited - who invest amongst other sectors, in Healthcare. 

4. Lord Darzi: Former surgeon drafted into government as a health minister by Gordon Brown when he was PM. Now an adviser to medical technology firm GE Healthcare.

Quotes on bill: he would find it 'difficult at this stage' to vote for blocking the Bill...'I am speaking as a surgeon, not a politician.'

5. Lord Davies of Abersoch: A non-executive Director of Diageo. Lansley used to hold a directorship at Profero who had Diageo as one of their clients. Diageo plc are an alcohol drinks company who have been awarded money to teach midwives in England and Wales on the dangers of alcohol. Vice Chairman and partner in Corsair Capital llc, who have amongst others Axis Capital holdings in their portfolio, providers of healthcare insurance products. Shares in HSBC who are heavily involved in PFI hospitals. 

6. Lord Eatwell: Economic Adviser at Warburg Pincus & Co International Ltd, a private equity firm with significant investments in the healthcare industry. Economic advisor to Palamon Capital Partners LLP, who also heavily invest in private healthcare.

7. Lord Elder: Advisor to pharmaceutical company Daval International Ltd

8. Lord Evans of Watford: Director of ­healthcare property firm Care Capital.

9. Lord Filkin: Adviser to outsourcing giant Serco, heavily involved in NHS services.

10. Baroness Ford: Chairman of private healthcare company, Barchester Healthcare Ltd. Part of the NHS Partners Network. Chairman of Grove Ltd, a holding company for for Barchester Health.  

11. Lord Gavron: Has shares in Serco, Smith & Nephew plc, Diageo, Unilever, Astrazeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Rhoen-Klinikum AG (private healthcare), Roche Holdings AG, Fresenius Medical Care AG, Sanofi-Aventis, Vodaphone Group plc, Prudential Life.  

12. Lord Goldsmith: Partner in International law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, whose clients include: Bayer; Bristol Myers Squibb; Forest Laboratories; Galderma; GlaxoSmithKline; Hisamitsu; Johnson & Johnson; Merck; Nestlé; Novartis; L’Oréal; Pfizer; Schering-Plough; and Tenet Healthcare, among others.'

13. Lord Grocott: Trainer at Cumberlege Connections Ltd: (See Baroness Cumberlege).

14. Lord Harris of Haringey: Former senior adviser to business services giant KPMG, who are heavily involved in implementing changes in the NHS and its commissioning groups Wyeth Pharmaceuticals 2001. Remunerated by Cumberlege Connections Ltd for occasional participation in training events. See Baroness Cumberlege. One client Airwave through his own company Toby harris Associates provides services to Ambulance and health.

15. Lord Hollick: Has shares in multiple companies involved in healthcare, which include: Diageo, Ambea, HCA, Capsugel.  

16. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Consultant and Trainer at Cumberlege Connections Ltd: See Baroness Cumberlege.

Lord Hutton of Furness: Ex-health minister is an adviser to law firm Eversheds. Clients include care homes and private hospitals.

17. Baroness Jay: Occasional participation in seminars for Cumberlege Connections.  Company that is a training company NHS personnel and a political networking firm that works "extensively" with the pharmaceutical industry. 

18. Lord Kestenbaum: Member of the board of directors of marketing agency Profero. Andrew Lansley was a director of Profero until the end of 2009. Diageo an alcohol company was one of their clients which went onto to be awarded a contract to talk about alcohol to midwives so that they can advise Mothers. Profero have contributed to the NHS Change4Life campaign to get more people to exercise.

19. Baroness Kingsmill: Non-executive director of Korn/Ferry International, an executive recruitment firm. Among the diverse range of healthcare organisations they have secured and developed top healthcare executives for are in hospital systems, multi-specialty physician practices, pharmacy benefit management companies, long-term care/assisted-living companies, home health companies, healthcare associations, and other service delivery companies. Two other peers work for them. Deputy Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, which claims to have “been at the heart of shaping ­[healthcare] reforms and working with clients to respond to the opportunities they present”. 

20. Lord Leitch: Bupa chairman. Non Exec director of Bupa.

21. Baroness Liddell: Associate member of Bupa. 

22. Lord McConnellof Glenscorrodale: Member of the advisory board to accountants and auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers. See Baroness Kingsmill.

23. Baroness McDonagh: Non Executive Director of Standard Life plc, which offers private health insurance.

24. Baroness Mallalieu: Has shares in Diageo (See Andrew Lansley), and pharmaceutical giant Reckitt Benckiser. Shares in Oryx International a closed-end investment company incorporated in Guernsey, which invests in healthcare. 

25. Lord Malloch-Brown: Chairman of FTI Global Affairs an advisory firm, which helps companies in the healthcare sector amongst others. On his appointment in 2010 he said: "Lord Malloch-Brown said, "The global economy has reached a tipping point, with Western companies under great pressure to shift their footprint towards emerging markets."

26. Lord Mandelson: Senior Advisor at Lazard Ltd, an international advisory investment bank, which includes the area of healthcare.

27. Lord Moonie: Advisor for Edinburgh-based healthcare and biosecurity company Americum. Former senior advisor to pharmaceutical company Pharmathene Ltd. Lord Moonie, previously accused in cash for influence scandal.

28. Baroness Morgan of Huyton: Ex-director of failed care home firm Southern Cross. Member of the advisory Committee board for Virgin Group Holdings Ltd.

29. Lord Myners: Non-Executive Director of RIT Capital partners plc, who according to their annual report invest extensively in healthcare. Also has shares in company.

30. Lord Noon: Director of Nutrahealth plc is a holding company which is 100% owned subsidiary of Elder Pharmaceuticals Ltd, an Indian based healthcare company since November 2010. The businesses operated in the UK are Biocare, Brunel Health and Totally Nourish.  Shares in Casualty Plus Ltd - private walk-in clinic.

31. Lord Prescott:  Fee received from Civica plc (25 January 2012) as payment for taking part in a panel discussion at a conference hosted by Civica at the Manchester International Conference Centre, Manchester; travel expenses were also paid for by Civica plc

More than 70 NHS Commissioners use Civica Health & Social Care's industry standard SLAM NHS Commissioning software to help manage service level agreements with providers, including Payment by Results, local tariffs, local agreements, block payments and other variants.

32. Lord Puttnam: Director of Huntsworth communications group. global public relations and integrated healthcare communications group. Did not stand for the board this year (2012). Deputy chair of Profero (See Andrew Lansley). Senior Non-executive director of Promethean World plc a technological hardware company, which according to its annual reports a new division was created, which amongst other sectors included healthcare. 

33. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Has shares in multiple companies involved in private healthcare including: Becton Dickinson, Hospira Inc, Vodafone plc (See Baroness James), JP Morgan (See Lord Renwick), Quest Diagnostics Inc, Johnson & Johnson.

34. Lord Sawyer: Chair of Norlife, part of a government led initiative called LIFT, set up as a partnership project in the county of Norfolk creating in part PFI projects.

35. Lord Simpson: Shares in multiple healthcare companies including Reckitt Benckiser, Standard Chartered Bank plc, GlaxoSmithKline, Vodafone plc.

36. Lord Sugar: Amscreen Plc is part of Lord Sugar’s Amshold Group of companies, which he owns. The company provides T.V screens into places where there is a captive audience and places targeted marketing alongside the other content the organisation may use. These screens are placed in GP surgeries, hospitals and dentists throughout the UK and in Europe.

Amscreen and BMI Healthcare have a contract together to sponsor live weather feeds to advise patients on their ‘healthcare choice’. This sponsorship deal will reach 3 million patients across the Amscreen network. Nigel Moon, Head of Marketing at BMI Healthcare has said “This advertising and sponsorship package provides us with a great opportunity to feature BMI Healthcare, our local hospitals and services to a highly targeted audience at a key time in the patient journey.” BMI Healthcare joins other leading brands such as Unilever, GSK and Pfizer who are able to reach captive audiences in GP surgeries across the healthcare network.

Now Lord Sugar’s son who runs Amscreen has teamed up with a face recognition company called Quividi. This technology will be able to ‘determine the gender, age, date, time and volume of the viewers.’ This according to Lord Sugar’s son said “brands deserve to know not just an estimation of how many eyeballs are viewing their adverts, but who they are, too.” Maybe the public deserves to know who is monitoring them, and what is happening to this data. Maybe the public deserves to be able to go to the GP surgery and not be a target for advertisers.

Viglen Ltd – shares – company provides I.T. services to the NHS. supplying over 45 central and local government councils, including a number of NHS and local education authorities, just under 70,000 computers over the next two years.

Donated £333,650.84 to Labour party

37. Baroness Symans of Vernham Dean: International consultant for legal firm DLA Piper a global law firm providing lobbying services to “clients in the health and social care sectors”. DLA Piper counts Southern Cross amongst its clients and advised on the failed £12 billion NHS I.T. project.

38. Lord Warner: Former adviser to Apax Partners, one of the leading global investors in the healthcare sector. Current director of Sage Advice Ltd. Works as an adviser to Xansa, a technology firm, and Byotrol, an antimicrobial company, which both sell services or products to the NHS” and was “paid by DLA Piper, which advised ministers on the £12 billion IT project for the NHS” projects that he was responsible for when he was a government minister. Lord Warner explains his role here.