Revealed: 70 doctors paid twice by NHS

Investigations Editor

Sunday 20 May 2012

CONSULTANTS at a health board embroiled in a row over the manipulation of waiting times are being paid twice for treating NHS patients, the Sunday Herald can reveal.

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NHS Lothian defends use of private companies to treat hospital patients. Exclusive By Paul Hutcheon

Over 70 hospital doctors employed by NHS Lothian have been cashing in on more lucrative work farmed out by the state to a private hospital. Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie has now called on Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to make a parliamentary statement on the practice.

The former chief executive of NHS Lothian "retired" last month amid a scandal into how the board was meeting its waiting times targets.A report by auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed that patients had been referred to Northumberland for operations. If they refused this option, the patients were not included on a list of individuals waiting 18 weeks for treatment.The board's use of Spire Healthcare's private Murrayfield hospital for hitting waiting targets is now also under the spotlight.In 2008, NHS Lothian agreed a three-year contract with the firm originally worth around £3.2 million a year. However, Spire used many of the same consultants already employed by NHS Lothian to treat these patients. The hospital doctors, who earned up to £100,000 from the public purse, carried out their duties in NHS facilities before getting paid for more work by Spire.Figures obtained by this newspaper show that 64 consultants fell into this bracket in 2010. This included 18 doctors specialising in orthopaedics, 15 in endoscopy and 12 in general surgery. In 2011, the figure jumped to nearly 80 consultants. An internal audit by the board flagged up a raft of concerns about the Spire contract. The report said there were potential "conflicts of interest" in which "consultants and other staff employed by NHS Lothian can benefit from treating NHS Lothian patients privately".Some publicly-funded consultants had also set up special firms to scoop up the Spire referrals. The report revealed that it cost the taxpayer "significantly more" to pay Spire than treating NHS patients in-house. The Spire contract ended last year but NHS Lothian continues to send patients to Murrayfield.This is in spite of Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon criticising the use of private hospitals on the grounds it takes money out of the health service.Rennie said: "In November last year the First Minister claimed that he had "eradicated the private sector" from the NHS in Scotland. These figures prove him otherwise."A BMA Scotland spokeswoman said: "The 2004 Consultant Contract clearly sets out an individual consultant's obligations to the NHS - the contract specifies that they must either offer to work an additional programmed activity for the NHS or they may forego their pay progression."Dr David Farquharson, the medical director at the health board, said: "When we deal with a private provider - we are working with that company and not liaising with individual consultants who may or may not also work in Lothian."

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Revealed: 70 doctors paid twice by NHS

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