Relationships with our consultants

Nearly all consultants treating patients at Sulis Hospital Bath are self-employed practitioners rather than hospital employees. They practice their specialities in accordance with our Practising Privileges policy.

In 2014, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued an Order regulating the relationships between private hospital groups and consultants who treat or refer private patients at group facilities. This Order prohibits hospital operators from creating incentive schemes to encourage referrals or treatments at their facilities. Sulis Hospital Bath complies with this Order and does not operate any such schemes. The Order also mandates the disclosure of certain arrangements with Referring Clinicians, including ownership interests, provision of high-value facilities, availability of basic amenities, and any remuneration for services provided.

All our consultants are independent practitioners responsible for their delivery of care. While they are not Sulis employees, they must adhere to Sulis policies and procedures when practising at our hospital. Many consultants are also employed by the NHS and may work with other independent providers. Each consultant is listed on the General Medical Council (GMC) medical register and undergoes a thorough vetting process before being granted practising privileges at Sulis. They are regularly reviewed by the Sulis Hospital Director.

The Order also requires hospital operators to disclose information about certain arrangements they have with Referring Clinicians, including ownership interests held by Referring Clinicians in the hospital operator; the provision of certain “high value” facilities to Referring Clinicians; the availability of “low value” basic amenities for Referring Clinicians; and any remuneration for services provided by Referring Clinicians to the hospital. Set out below is information about the arrangements we have with Referring Clinicians:

Remunerative arrangements

No Referring Clinician holds any equity or financial interest in Sulis Hospital Bath.

We engage a small number of Referring Clinicians to provide certain clinical services and/or to undertake certain managerial and governance functions at our hospitals. Attached below, is a list of Referring Clinicians who provide such services and the remuneration they receive:

Facilities

• We provide certain facilities to Referring Clinicians at the following rates:
  
  • consulting rooms at £20 per hour
  • office space at £20+VAT per day (£10+VAT for half day)
  • medical secretarial services at £14.30 – £15.50 (+VAT) per hour

Basic amenities

At our hospital, we provide consultants with the following basic amenities:

• In-housing training programmes to promote clinical and operational safety
• Patient admission, billing, and related administrative services
• Complimentary refreshments and parking
• General marketing and promotional activities

We also host informational meetings and events from time to time which referring clinicians are invited to attend. While the cost of such events depends on the number of attendees, the average cost is less than £1,000.

Your relationship with each consultant involved in your treatment, including anaesthetists, is a separate legal relationship alongside your relationship with Sulis Hospital. Private patients or their insurers are usually invoiced separately by each consultant and the hospital, although we may act as a fee-collecting agent for consultants to simplify the payment process.

While consultants are responsible for clinical decision-making and care quality, Sulis Hospital ensures systems of monitoring and oversight are in place to ensure compliance with Sulis policies and practising privileges. Consultants must maintain adequate medical malpractice indemnity cover, in line with GMC guidance, and Sulis verifies these indemnity certificates.

For more information about the consultants providing your care, please visit the Private Healthcare Information Network website.

This information is reviewed annually, and the last review date is January 2025. The next review date is January 2026.