Revealed: private surgery for NHS patients soars under Tories
Figure show almost three-fold increase since 2010 to over 600,000 procedures last year
The number of NHS patients having surgery in private hospitals has trebled since 2010, sparking accusations that for-profit companies are benefitting from an “enfeebled” health system under the Conservatives.
NHS figures obtained by the Guardian show that it paid for 214,967 people in England to have an operation in a private hospital in 2009-10, Labour’s last year in power. The figure soared to 613,833 last year, an 194% rise in nine years.