NHS spends record £12.3BILLION outsourcing patients to private hospitals in bid to clear waiting lists, figures reveal The NHS has spent a record £12.3billion outsourcing patients to private hospitals to try to clear waiting lists, figures show.
Health officials said NHS use of the private sector has risen by 50 per cent since 2021, with more than 100,000 appointments and procedures carried out by independent hospitals for the health service per week.
‘With waiting list numbers so high, NHS trusts welcome the support of longstanding independent sector partners – with the costlier and more complex treatments usually staying in NHS hands – so that more patients get tests, scans and treatment as quickly as possible,’ she told The Sunday Telegraph.
The Prime Minister said in five years time, 92 per cent of patients will be seen within 18 weeks for pre-planned care.
Health officials said NHS use of the private sector has risen by 50 per cent since 2021.
