Before the arrival of the first treatment centres, private hospitals frequently charged 30 to 50 per cent above the NHS price.

The treatment centres helped to drive that cost down and the growing number of private hospitals on the so-called “extended choice network” treat patients at the NHS price, so long as they can control the workflow.

However, hospitals and primary care trusts in which patients are in danger of breaching waiting-time targets have reverted to “spot purchasing” – buying operations at the last minute, say Richard Jones, commercial director of Spire Healthcare (formerly Bupa Hospitals), and David Mobbs, chief executive of Nuffield Hospitals.

“We are not bound by the tariff [the NHS price] when we are called in as a distress purchase caused by the need to treat patients urgently so that they do not breach waiting times,” Mr Jones said.

“It costs us more because we cannot plan our spare capacity in the way we can when patients choose to use us, or the primary care trust has a longer-standing contract.

“It would be better value for money for the NHS if we were able to treat patients in a planned way or through patients choosing to come to us, as they are entitled to.”

Neil Bentley, director of public services with the CBI employers’ group, said the re-emergence of spot purchasing “shows why it does not make sense to cut back on the second wave of independent treatment centres”, as ministers are expected to do this week.

“Does the government really want to go back to a regime where it will cost the NHS more to get patients treated?”

From:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bddd10a8-9308-11dc-ad39-0000779fd2ac.html