Two out of five private hospitals in England are failing to meet safety standards intended to protect the public from harm, health inspectors have found.
A report on the independent acute hospital sector by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found most hospitals were providing good quality care to patients, but said there were serious concerns about safety and leadership. The CQC warned that the lack of “effective oversight” of consultants working for these hospitals but not formally employed by them was a “major concern”.
The report comes amid a national inquiry into private sector health providers in the wake of the “shocking” malpractice of rogue surgeon Ian Paterson, who was jailed for 20 years for grievous bodily harm and wounding with intent. The CQC said the need for proper oversight of the doctors operating in private hospitals had been “thrown into sharp relief” by the Paterson case after he was able to perform unnecessary and incomplete surgeries on 750 patients.
The report said hospitals “could be reluctant to challenge” these consultants because they were bringing in patients and income. After inspections at 206 independent acute hospitals, the CQC found that 41 per cent needed to make improvements on patient safety measures, while one per cent had “inadequate” safety.
It added: “There was a lack of preparedness for patients whose condition could deteriorate.” A 2017 report on NHS hospitals found that a massive 70 per cent required improvement, and 11 per cent were inadequate on safety.
It has also warned the health service is “straining at the seams”.
However, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) said direct comparisons with the NHS were difficult because the private sector does not provide emergency treatment, adding the report “exposes the poorer practices of some independent providers and underlines the need for a renewed focus on improving patient safety”.
