A PETITION signed by more than 1,200 residents has been handed in to NHS officials in Waltham Forest urging them not to outsource services to private companies.

A new 'Clinical Commissioning Group' (CCG) of doctors is to be established and given powers to organise some aspects of healthcare in the borough from April 2013 as part of the government's controversial NHS reforms.

Campaigners fear responsibilities could be given to companies who they believe will prioritise profit over quality of service.

But the Waltham Forest CCG said legally it cannot exclude private companies from bidding to run services under the reforms.

Jessica Silverstone, of the Waltham Forest branch of the '38 Degrees' group, said: "When you introduce the market into service provision what happens is an erosion of service over time.

"The entire motivation of the market and private companies is to maximise profit, whereas the main aim of the NHS has always been about caring for people."

The petition was handed in to a preliminary meeting of the new CCG in Leyton this week and campaigners are planning further lobbying efforts in the coming months.

Ms Silverstone added: "I organised a meeting on this issue in Walthamstow a few weeks ago and expected about three or four people to turn up, but there were over 50. There's very strong feeling about this.

"The petition has gone really well and we're grateful for having the chance to speak at the [CCG] meeting, however we remain concerned that there's a lack of awareness of the implications of outsourcing to the private sector."

The government denies its reforms will harm quality of care, saying the changes will slash bureaucracy and free up extra cash to be spent on frontline services.

It argues that doctors are best placed to make decisions on commissioning aspects of care and that the introduction of competition will make the NHS more efficient.

Dr Gabriel Ivbijaro, Chair of the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: “The Waltham Forest CCG will respond to the petitioners’ concerns directly but it is clear that EU procurement law means that any qualified provider must be treated fairly in the procurement process.

"We will commission services from providers based on their ability to best meet the healthcare needs of local people.”