Private sector needs extensive reform to protect patients, says think tank

The private hospital sector in England needs radical reform following the Ian Paterson scandal which left hundreds of patients maimed and injured, a highly critical report by the Centre for Health and the Public Interest has said.1

The report, No Safety Without Liability, said that the private hospital business model makes it susceptible to exploitation by ill meaning or incompetent surgeons. The think tank’s report, based on a review of Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection reports of 177 private hospitals, said that the refusal by private hospital companies to accept full responsibility for what happens in their facilities means that patients will always be at risk.

Breast surgeon Paterson was found guilty of wounding with intent and …