(excerpt from document foreword)"This report is a timely contribution to the debate on outsourcing and the use of the private sector in delivering public services. The current financial crisis has demonstrated the failure of light-touch regulation and the need for much greater control and transparency in the UK's financial sector.The NHS is increasingly facing similar issues as parts of the system have been outsourced and more private companies brought in to provide services.OPM's report usefully highlights a number of key concerns for UNISON around value for money, impact on staff terms and conditions, fragmentation of services, and a failure of accountability."