NHS Increases Private Revenue

According to new figures from the General Healthcare Group (who own BMI, the UK's largest hospital group) revenue is up by 7.6% this year. The main reason for this is the increase in the number of NHS patients being referred for private treatment. With the new government proposals, for treating patients privately by law if they have to wait more than 18 weeks, this new phenomena is set to increase.

The private sector has seen an overall decline in both health insurance customers and self-pay ones over the last year. The rise in NHS cases being treated privately is helping the private sector stay buoyant but it is also helping the NHS to keep down their waiting lists and cut costs.

A spokesperson for Netcare who own the General Healthcare Group said:

'The NHS is expected to remain a key partner now that the national Choose and Book programme has been introduced, allowing the public, through their GPs, to select private facilities directly for their treatment.'

The figures are likely to keep increasing. A couple of weeks ago health secretary Andy Burnham said that a law would be passed that would make it compulsory for patients who have not been seen on the NHS after 18 weeks to have their treatment at a private hospital.

Tory ministers are not very keen on this idea as they believe that 18 week lists are too arbitrary. They argue that some treatments need to be performed way before this date.

Talking to the Guardian Conservative health spokesman, Andrew Lansley, said about the labour plans: '

'It is the latest in a series of unaffordable and uncosted pledges that have more to do with electioneering than improving the NHS. It will be treated with contempt by NHS staff and rejected by patients because it does not put them in charge.

'We know that patients don't want to wait for their treatment. That's why we have set out clear plans to increase capacity in the NHS – we want patients to be able to choose to get their NHS care from any provider that can offer it at NHS standards and the NHS price. This should mean that patients get treated far more quickly than in 18 weeks.

'When patients are referred for treatment they should be able to choose between hospitals on the basis of not only waiting times, but also on issues such as levels of MRSA infections and the quality of treatment they will receive. That sort of patient power is the way to truly drive up standards in the NHS.'

The governments plans will be announced next week during the queen's speech.