Independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) have been able to provide additional surgical capacity in the south-west while offering patients a wider choice of hospitals for their treatment. The treatment centres have helped local national health service hospitals in achieving their own maximum waiting time targets. Prior to the opening of the treatment centres, the local NHS used private sector capacity in an unstructured way to manage demand from general practitioners, but the introduction of treatment centres has reduced the requirement for this.
We do not expect any hospital trust which is providing high quality, accessible services that meet patient needs to sustain a negative impact under Payment by Results, but ultimately it will be for patients to decide where they are treated under Choice.