Government plans to make greater use of the private sector to treat NHS patients could pose a direct threat to health service capacity and reinforce regional treatment and waiting time disparities, ministers have been warned.

The Commons health committee says the government has not yet demonstrated that the use of independent sector in treating NHS patients "poses no direct threat to resources in the public sector".

Forum Response: Unison

Karen Jennings, health secretary at Unison, told ePolitix.com: "Some of the recommendations of the report show that the committee has listened to our concerns. We are glad that it agrees with us that the National Audit Office should undertake immediate urgent studies of several major health schemes to establish whether they give value for money.

"And we think it's absolutely right that there should be an independent assessment of the impact of the purchasing by the NHS of activity from independent providers on staff availability within the NHS.

"We have, however, made valid criticisms of the use of the private finance initiative and produced concrete evidence to show that PFI does not give value for money. A recent study into Wakefield PFI hospital scheme and recent cuts in Manchester mental health services show that the extra costs of PFI are at the expense of other parts of the NHS.

"It is vitally important that we get things right in the NHS; that we give value for money and that we make sure money is not syphoned away from front line care to line the pockets of private contractors. It is clear to us that PFI does not give value for money - we should move on and look at funding the NHS through the public sector."