Private treatment at Leighton

One in six NHS hospital trusts in England, including the trust running Leighton Hospital, have started offering private treatment in the past year according to the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Data from 134 of England's 160 acute hospital NHS trusts shows that 21 trusts have recently introduced private treatment options for patients.

Many are treatments that have long NHS waiting lists or have been restricted for budget reasons by commissioners. The hospitals are charging patients the same fee for the private services as they cost the NHS. Cataract surgery, IVF and varicose vein removal are among the new self-funded treatments these hospitals are offering.

The Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is among the hospital trusts that have introduced self-funded payment options recently.

BMJ has reported that 119 trusts – nine in 10 – now offer private treatment options. The Health & Social Care Act 2012 now allows NHS hospitals to raise up to 49% of their funds through non-NHS work.

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