Private medicine's inroads growing in UK

A decision to use private hospitals to reduce waiting times may undermine needed reforms within the National Health Service (NHS), some critics say.

More than 2 years ago the British government signed an agreement with the country's private hospitals to rent spare operating rooms and share information on clinical mistakes, workforce supply and patient demand. Since then, NHS use of private facilities has expanded to include a deal with one of the largest American health care providers, HCA International, to treat 10 000 NHS cancer patients at its facilities in Britain. It is also being contracted to provide private rehabilitative services for NHS staff injured on the job.

One NHS ambulance agency used a private treatment centre to provide care for 18 staff members with back injuries, at a cost of about £1200 per patient (Can$2700). After a 4-to-6 week course of treatment, all but 2 of the workers were able to return to work full time, saving the agency thousands of pounds.

However, critics question why the NHS could not provide timely treatment for its own employees, and criticize years of underinvestment in the NHS. The Audit Commission, which oversees public spending in the UK, recently released a report stating that the NHS could perform another 300 000 operations a year if its operating theatres were better managed.

Nearly 1 in 8 Britons now has private medical insurance, and many people without such coverage are opting to pay for private treatment rather than face long waits for NHS services. One study by independent analysts found that spending on private medicine in the UK is growing faster than government spending on the NHS. Revenues from private hospitals and clinics now total more than £2.1 billion annually.

There are also concerns about private health care providers overcharging the NHS. In May, Health Secretary Alan Milburn said the government will send guidelines for hospital pricing to NHS managers and doctors. “There is no blank cheque. We want to get high standards of treatment for patients and value for the taxpayer. If the private sector does not compete, it will not get business from us.” — Mary Helen Spooner, West Sussex, UK