This is regarded as the first NHS purchase in the South East - East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust has purchased East Kent Medical Services, which runs the 22-bed Spencer wing housed in the confines of Margate's Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital.
This buy out offers tremendous hope for the NHS as well as its patients in the form of profits and timely healthcare.The Spencer Wing has been closely associated with the QEQM and takes responsibility for a sizeable portion of NHS work. The gains made from the fees collected by private hospitals in Thanet will be used by the NHS to improve quality of NHS facilities and services.
The advantages of this development manifest as benefits to patients in the form of speedy treatment by reducing waiting times.
Trust chief executive Stuart Bain said: "When we learned the facility was up for sale, we became concerned that the future of an extremely effective private hospital of significant service to our patients might be in jeopardy. By purchasing this facility we can secure the future for our patients."
With 54 employees who are mostly nurses and a few administration and housekeeping staff, The Spencer Wing includes physiotherapy units, out patient services, endoscopy facilities, postgraduate center, and bedrooms. Private beds are priced at £300 per night.
Dai Davies, the QEQM's general manager for pathology said, “We could develop the private element even further and could have the extra capacity when we need it from the main hospital in the way we have used it for the last 18 months.”
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Source-Medindia
SAV/L
