HCA Healthcare is the latest private healthcare provider to respond to NHS pressures as it is launching an urgent acute admissions service and a private ambulance service across London.
The urgent acute admissions service can be accessed through private medical insurance (PMI) or self-pay and HCA said it had the capacity to support admissions from private and NHS referrers seeking care for their patients.
In November, PMI provider Axa Health revealed it was trialling a service connecting members with urgent care centres and offering them a 75% discounted rate to avoid attending accident and emergency departments.
The move from HCA came after the latest release of NHS England treatment figures yesterday showed the NHS was in ‘deep crisis’, according to The King’s Fund.
“The figures show this is particularly true in emergency care, with patients waiting over an hour and a half on average for an ambulance when they have a condition like a stroke or heart attack, and even when they get to hospital nearly 55,000 people are stuck in A&E on trolleys waiting more than 12 hours,” it said.
“Since modern records began, A&E performance is the worst it has ever been and not a single NHS trust in the country is managing to meet the national target to be seen within four hours.”
Four London hospitals
HCA said it was streamlining services across four of its London hospitals to launch the rapid 24/7 Acute Admissions Service for patients who require urgent, acute and complex unplanned care.
Patients admitted through the service will be triaged by a consultant physician as soon as they arrive with cover in key specialities through its 24/7 consultant on-call rota.
The service will build on its established acute care offering and provide streamlined treatment pathways for patients with conditions, such as:
- Respiratory conditions – including pneumonia and chronic obstructive, pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Neurological conditions – including acute confusion, worsening dementia and seizures.
- Cardiac conditions – including heart failure, arrhythmias, blood clots, pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.
- Patient admissions following post operative medical complications.
- GI, Liver & HPB conditions – including acute biliary problems, acute appendicitis and intestinal obstruction.
The year-round service manages the entire acute admissions referral process for GPs and consultants from across the UK, providing care for patients across four of its hospitals in London: The Wellington Hospital, The Lister Hospital, The Princess Grace Hospital, and London Bridge Hospital.
HCA UK’s concierge team manages the admissions process for referrers and also keeps them informed of their patient’s treatment and progress, the hospital group said.
The new private 24/7 ambulance service is also managed by the concierge team providing transfers by collecting patients from their home, GP practice, or an NHS or private hospital, and taking them to one of the London hospitals.
HCA UK vice president of physician services group Neil Buckley said the firm was “incredibly proud” to be providing this much needed service across its four London hospitals.
“The 24/7 co-ordination from our medical concierge centre team and personalised patient care provided by our consultants, doctors and nurses, coupled with the launch of our new private ambulance transfer service, will ensure that patients with acute conditions receive the quick, quality care that they require.
“No other private provider has an acute admissions service on this scale, it’s truly unparalleled.”
In response to being asked when asked which which provider was going to give customers access to the services, an HCA spokesperson said: “All major insurance providers but we would encourage all individuals to check their policy.”