NHS trusts chasing private patients at expense of waiting lists, warns Labour

[Northerner]

Hospital Trusts in some parts of England have more than doubled the income they receive from treating private patients following the coalition’s controversial lifting of a cap on such earnings, prompting concerns that cash is being chased as NHS waiting lists grow.

Across the country there appears to have been a 10% increase in private income since 2010, but some trusts appear to have radically rethought their attitude to seeking private patients.

The Royal Brompton and Harefield trust has increased its private patient income from £24.3m in 2010/11 to £33.6m in 2013/14. Moorfields eye hospital NHS foundation trust increased its income from £13.3m in 2009/10 to £21.3m in this financial year.

Poole hospital NHS foundation trust has seen a 123% increase in its private patient income from £613,000 in 2009/10 to £1.5m in the past year.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/16/nhs-trusts-chasing-private-patients

 

[trophywench]

Moorfields - a director at work had laser eye surgery there privately, on a Sunday morning.

In some ways I agree, if you can afford it or BUPA etc will pay for it - it does seem more likely they might know what they are doing with your eyes, doesn't it?

I dunno I'd want to 'lodge' in an NHS hospital though, if I had a private one at my disposal, I had my hysterectomy privately by an NHS gynae - well happy considering they kept my BG at 5 (various decimal points but never higher than 5.9) for a week on a sliding scale, cos I couldn't eat !

The nursing care and attention to detail was fantastic.