Cable Forum - View Single Post - NHS set to take on more private treatment

**Hugh** · 28-12-2011, 15:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

Wouldn't this be at the expense of NHS services? Even if they increase staff to deal with the demand from private patients there will be a finite amount of equipment and space within the hospital...

Nope - completely separate, but any profit from the private side has to be ploughed back into the foundation - no shareholders.

Some Q&A from the Times 27th December (behind paywall)

Quote:

Will NHS patients get an inferior service if their hospital starts attracting private patients?
They shouldn’t. The Royal Marsden is currently allowed to take up to 31 per cent of its income from private activity, yet is rated one of the best NHS providers. In fact, the handful of trusts that raise more than 2 per cent of their income from private patients are among the best in the country for NHS quality of care; they tend to be the most innovative.

But what’s to stop my doctor seeing someone with a big fat wallet ahead of me?
The doctor already does: he sees the rich in his private clinic, where he works in his spare time. This apartheid is invisible, because most NHS consultants do their private work at private clinics, then shuttle back to do their NHS hours at a general hospital. It’s arguable that consultants would be more efficient if they could see all their patients on one site: one top obstetrician is known to ride his motorbike between several different places.

So, is the chap with the big wallet going to be within spitting distance in the bed next to me?
He’s more likely to be down the corridor in a private ward. Hospital trusts can use the money they raise from private work to improve their private facilities.

What about NHS-trained nurses and NHS equipment? Can they be used for private treatment?
The NHS Constitution says that “public funds for healthcare will be devoted solely to the benefit of the people that the NHS serves”. It is presumed that private wings would be staffed by a dedicated team, just as private maternity units in teaching hospitals have dedicated midwives. The same goes for the equipment.

What safeguards will there be to maintain the service for NHS patients?
The Government says that NHS patients will retain all of their rights, including the right to start consultant treatment within 18 weeks of referral. GP commissioning groups will have a new duty to ensure that their patients are aware of this right and that they get seen promptly. Many GPs would create an unholy row if they thought that their patients were getting a raw deal.

Does this mean hospitals will be able to profit at the expense of the NHS?
No. All proceeds from private patient and non-NHS activity must be re-invested in the hospital trust. Trusts can choose whether to use that money on equipment, research, developing private services or their NHS services. But they cannot reap a profit.

Could hospitals drain the NHS to finance their private work?
Under the Health and Social Care Bill, foundation trusts will have to produce separate accounts for NHS and private work. Using NHS resources to subsidise private activity would breach the NHS Constitution.