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NHS: Private Sector

Volume 480: debated on Wednesday 8 October 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which are the largest 10 private sector providers contracted for direct health care in the NHS in terms of (a) turnover and (b) patient throughput. (224441)

Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning the majority of direct health care provision in the NHS. The detail of their contracts is not held centrally.

The largest 10 independent sector providers, by value, of services under the nationally procured independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) programme and the extended choice network (ECN) in 2007-08 are listed in the following table.

The turnover for providers cannot be released at this time for reasons of commercial sensitivity but the Department is working with providers with the intention of releasing as much information as possible in the future. By the end of November this year, contract details relating to the Phase 2 ISTC contracts will be published on the Department’s website in line with the Wave 1 information that is already available there.

The largest 10 independent sector providers, by value, of services under the nationally procured ISTC programme and the ECN in 2007-08

£ rank

Independent sector provider

Patient throughput

1

Care UK

170,864

2

Ramsay Health Care UK

19,828

3

Interhealth Care Services

7,831

4

UK Specialist Hospitals

9,782

5

Nations Healthcare

35,498

6

Netcare UK

7,882

7

Spire Healthcare

33,507

8

Alliance Medical

80,368

9

Nuffield Hospitals

1,988

10

The Horder Centre

486

Note:

Patient throughput includes procedures, diagnostic assessments and episodes of primary care but not out-patient assessment appointments for elective procedures through ISTCs and the IS ECN.