In response to an article in the Daily Mirror, Dr Ian Gargan, PHIN Chief Executive said:

“Patients being transferred to NHS hospitals for emergency care remains a rare occurrence and is part of the UK’s healthcare ecosystem with the two parts of the sector working in partnership.

“The NHS and private sector work together on the basis of keenly negotiated partnership arrangements which ensure value for money for the NHS. Everyone working in the private sector is held to account by the General Medical Council (GMC), and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to adhere to high standards of patient care, just as they are in the NHS.

“It would not be practical or cost effective for every private facility, or indeed NHS site, to have its own emergency department which would lie inactive for most of the time. It is better to concentrate resources and expertise in specialist NHS centres.

“The increase in numbers of patient transfers should also be understood in the context of the rising number of patients overall having elective surgery (in the NHS and private sector) over the past few years. Here at PHIN we will be publishing ‘linked measures’ information to track patients through their journey, whether private or in the NHS, so that everyone can better understand how and where patients are treated and ensure they are receiving the best care and ensure maximum transparency.

“We encourage patients to use the information on our website ( https://www.phin.org.uk ) to assess their options, including hospital safety records and whether they have emergency departments. If they do not this should be something that patients ask about when planning treatment.”

The Daily Mirror published Private hospitals 'rush patients back to the NHS when something goes wrong' on 26 February.