NHS changes could be good for those with private medical cover

Proposals to allow the NHS to carry out more private work is good news for those with private medical cover, it has been suggested.

Earlier this year, the government published a White Paper that proposed abolishing the cap on the amount of income that NHS foundation trusts can earn from treating private patients.

Speaking to Health Insurance & Protection magazine, Sharon Lyons, head of provider management at AXA PPP healthcare, said this could result in the NHS opening more private units, which could benefit private patients.

"Allowing NHS providers to increase their capacity for treatment of private patients could be of benefit to private patients as the introduction of further choice and competition in the UK market for private medical services may help to bring down prices," she said.

Dr Doug Wright of Aviva UK Health added that receiving private treatment at NHS hospitals appealed to "a set of people who want to support the NHS but want the added convenience of timing and scheduling".

This week, the government announced it was scaling back a project to create a national IT infrastructure for the NHS in order to save £700 million of public spending.

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