The wife of a Tory health minister has a top job at a private firm that has been handed NHS contracts, according to Mirror reports.
Neil O’Brien’s spouse is GP engagement lead for Circle Health Group, which operates taxpayer-funded services.
It has 54 private hospitals across the UK and advertises that NHS patients can request to have their operations at its sites.
The company’s website states that “if you choose to have your NHS treatment at one of our hospitals in England, all the costs will be covered by the NHS.”
O’Brien is the Minister for Primary Care in the Department of Health and Social Care. He was appointed to the role last September after previously being a Levelling Up minister.
His wife’s role with the private healthcare firm was revealed on the list of ministers’ interests.
It comes after an eye-watering amount of crony contracts were handed out during the Covid-19 pandemic.
An online map showcasing the web of connections between the Conservatives and private companies became ‘more chaotic’ than ever by the end.
And it looks like there’s no end in sight!