View from the independent acute health-care sector.

In 1992 there were 221 private hospitals in the UK providing a total of 11,306 beds, not including private nursing homes and psychiatric beds. The total value of the acute independent health-care sector was estimated to be 1870m pounds in 1992. Of this, 1114m pounds was spent in private hospitals and clinics; 582m pounds was spent on consultant surgeons', anaesthetists' and physicians' fees, and 172m pounds was accounted for by pay beds in NHS units. In this paper, the author gives some background to the independent sector, its expansion and how it is now a partner to the NHS. She also discusses initiatives taken by BMI Healthcare, one of the biggest independent sector providers in the country.