PRIVATE health trade body the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) has welcomed the cross-party consensus on the key role of the independent sector in tackling NHS waiting lists, following an intervention from the Shadow Health Secretary.
This comes as The Guardian newspaper revealed patients are paying up to £550 an hour to see private GPs amid frustration at the delays many face getting an appointment with an NHS family doctor.
IHPN Chief Executive David Hare said: ‘Private GP services are one of the big growth areas of a burgeoning private healthcare sector.’
IHPN said: ‘In a Labour Party media statement on the elective recovery taskforce and the role of the independent sector in helping tackle the current record waiting lists in the NHS, the Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, said:
“Labour would use the spare capacity in the private sector to get patients seen faster, free at the point of use. The last Labour government showed this is an effective tool in bringing down NHS waiting lists.
‘‘If the Conservatives had got their skates on, almost 300,000 patients could have been treated, off the waiting list, and back to living their lives to the full. Rishi Sunak’s dither and delay in costing patients dear.’’’
David Hare, Chief Executive of IHPN, said: ‘We welcome cross-party consensus on the important role that the independent sector must play in improving access to care for NHS patients.
‘We look forward to the publication of the government’s elective recovery taskforce report. We hope it will ensure patients are fully informed about their options to choose the most appropriate provider for them, including from the independent sector.
‘This will ensure more patients are able to get faster NHS treatment, free at the point of use.’
The London General Practice on Harley Street in central London had the highest fees among the 25 non-NHS GP providers The Guardian looked at.
It charges £275 for half an hour with a family doctor, £412 for 45 minutes and £550 for an hour-long consultation. It rises to £348 for a 30-minute slot if it is out of hours or a Bank Holiday. A GP from the clinic will also do a house call for £500, £550 or £575, depending on the time of day.
Further along, another practice charges £220 for a half-hour appointment and £400 for the full hour.
