03.10.12
Private hospital surgical admissions at record levels
A new report shows that private and voluntary hospitals in the UK admitted 1.64 million patients for surgical treatments in the first half of 2012, representing a record level of activity.
This is equivalent to 14.5% of total surgical admissions to the NHS. Revenues were recorded at £4.14bn in 2011, according to a new report published by Laing and Buisson.
However, the activity seems to be driven by an increase in NHS admissions and revenues have barely increased in real terms in the last two years, only up 0.7%.
The data comes as Labour prepares to highlight a significant increase in private companies bidding to run NHS services, through a new freedom for hospitals to earn 49% of their income from private work.
Report author Philip Blackburn said: “Independent acute medical hospitals are carrying out more activity than ever before, but their funding dynamics confirm a sector that looks to have crucial pinch points coming up.
“While this new research suggest that there are opportunities for private self-pay in the short term, in the longer term performance of the NHS, as its reforms unfold, remains a great unknown.”
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