Jeremy Hunt never misses an opportunity to mention patient safety in the NHS, but rarely, if ever, has he turned his attention to private hospitals. Surely all patients should know what risks they are taking?
Private hospitals admit patients each year for at least 1.61 million surgical procedures. A quarter are funded by the taxpayer (ie the NHS), and 28% of private hospital income now comes from treating NHS patients paid for by the taxpayer.
CQC inspections have resulted in 13 NHS hospitals being placed in special measures. Why aren’t private hospitals subject to the same scrutiny?
