Private income up 38% for Marsden
PPU Watch
Compiled by Philip Housden
The Royal Marsden Private Care revenue had strong recovery in 2021-22
Despite the challenges of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, The Royal Marsden Private Care posted record revenues last year.
The trust’s annual accounts report a return of international patients, particularly over the latter half of the year, and sustained demand from UK patients.
Income of £141.6m for the financial year was 38% up on 2020-21 (£102.4m) and 4% above the plan for the year.
Shams Maladwala
Shams Maladwala, managing director of private care, said: ‘A major highlight of 2021-22 was the opening of the new research-led diagnostic and treatment facility in Cavendish Square in April 2021.
‘This facility offers patients fast and direct access to world-leading cancer experts and has further enhanced the trust’s care provision. The first year has been very successful, with income being 5% above plan for the year.
‘As a diagnostic centre, the facility was also able to support the treatment of patients during the Covid-19 pandemic as part of the trust’s integrated model of care.’
The Royal Marsden retains the dominant spot as number-one NHS trust for private care, significantly ahead of Guy’s & St Thomas’, second with £50.6m revenues.
It is also the most private patient-dependent. In the 2021-22 financial year, 34.6% of total trust revenues were from private patient income. Only three other England NHS trusts are likely to report private income in excess of 10%.
London’s private maternity care reviewed
A recent Which? survey of nearly 2,000 parents has found that while most women give birth within the NHS, around 5% opted to give birth privately, many of these in NHS PPUs.
Their main reason for going private was to get ‘more personalised medical care’ and a desire for additional comfort.
Several London NHS trust PPUs provide private maternity care, where private birth costs can vary from £5,900 to over £10,000 for a problem-free pregnancy, a natural delivery and much more for complications.
The following NHS PPUs offer maternity care:
The Westminster Maternity Suite at St Thomas’ Hospital has provided private care for 20 years and more than 400 of the total of more than 7,000 babies delivered in the St Thomas’ maternity unit each year are private;
The Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital;
The Sir Stanley Clayton Ward at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, Imperial College;
The Kensington Wing at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital;
The Fitzrovia Suite at University College Hospital.
NHS PPU conference
This year’s national conference on NHS PPUs is to be held online on 20 October.
It is returning after a two-year absence since the last successful event held in March 2020 at St Thomas’ Hospital.
This year the focus is ‘NHS private patient service roadmap: strategise how to get your PPU back to full capacity’.
Sessions will include an insurer forum involving Bupa, AXA and Aviva; case studies from trusts and an export-focused talk from Healthcare UK.
Details of how to book can be found at www.sbk-healthcare.co.uk/events/nhs-private-patient-service-roadmap.
Philip Housden (right) is director of Housden Group