Doctors warn of 'two tier' health system

Private patients will be given priority by NHS hospitals under pressure to increase their income, if the Government's health reforms go ahead, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).

In a letter to MPs preparing to debate the Health and Social Care Bill before it passes to the House of Lords, BMA chairman Dr Meldrum claims that the legislation presents an "unacceptably high risk to the NHS, threatening its ability to operate effectively and equitably, now and in the future".

Dr Meldrum urges MPs to ensure that the bill is either withdrawn or subject to further changes, despite the Government’s efforts to address some of the concerns through the NHS Future Forum earlier this year.

The BMA believes that plans to scrap the cap on the amount of income hospitals can earn from private patients may lead to trusts undertaking more private work, pushing NHS patients to the back of the queue. The briefing warns of a "two-tier" health service emerging and claims that greater involvement of the private sector in the delivery of NHS services could "destabilise local health economies", many of which are currently based on NHS providers interacting with each other.

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust has plans to earn a quarter of its income from private patients in the coming year, while a new private cancer unit at The Christie Hospital in Manchester, run by private hospital group HCA International, has already attracted the ire of the local MP concerned about "twin track" treatment.

Last year, private patient income represented just 0.6%. of the NHS's total income from treating patients, according to Laing & Buisson, although the proportion is considerably higher in some trusts.