HC Deb 05 March 2002 vol 381 c281W
Dr. Fox

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were carried out under the NHS and performed in the private sector in the last 12 months. [33759]

Mr. Hutton

Since November 2000 the Independent Healthcare Association has collected monthly data from independent health care providers about the number of NHS patients treated by them. According to data made available to the Department by the IHA, in the calendar year 2001 at least 71,750 procedures were carried out in the independent sector in England, paid for by the NHS. This includes out-patient appointments, day cases and in-patient treatment.