But it will happen more and more, especially when you see how in areas like care for the elderly the government is constantly trying to put personal care into the private sector. The Tory privatisation by stealth through the Private Finance Initiative has been brought in with increased speed under New Labour. So no sooner does the government money go in than it goes out again to pay the private contractors' profits. The government has done nothing to systematically tackle it. The heart attack rate for people under the age of 75 in east London is twice the national average.
Housing is one of the biggest problems.
Some of my patients live in flats with no carpets and no furniture. A lot of the housing stock in east London was built during the 1960s and 70s, just as quality standards were relaxed. The housing is substandard, with too thin walls and inadequate insulation. So you get damp, condensation and mould growing on the walls. I also see an enormous amount of overcrowding on my rounds.