Q&A with Simon Milner, hospital director, tells all.

A private hospital acquired by an NHS Trust is an apparent dichotomy. However, when you pick it apart it makes absolute sense and benefits everyone in the local health economy.

Sulis Hospital is not only the first fully-operational private hospital to be acquired by an NHS Trust but the first hospital in the world to be designed by the world-renowned architects Foster & Partners and has since won numerous awards. A radical departure from the standard approach to hospital design and healthcare.

Simon Milner explains that the world-class Sulis Hospital provides a strong presence for private healthcare in Bath and the surrounding area, providing fast access to diagnosis and treatment and maintaining healthy competition for patients as well.

Patients who choose private healthcare have access to high-quality care with leading experts and individualised treatment plans, but they also 'free up' space for those on NHS waiting lists.

Simon explains, "The new model has given us the opportunity to integrate The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust's best practices and governance with Sulis Hospital’s best practices, all of which have enhanced the service at both hospitals.

The consultants at Sulis Hospital love the fact that the revenue generated by private patients goes back into the NHS as they love to give back. More clinicians have joined the hospital as a direct result of the ownership model."

Read the full Bath Magazine article here.