First private casualty unit operational
Britain’s first private casualty unit opens its doors later today.
Casualty Plus, in Brentford, west London, claims that patients will be seen “in minutes not hours” for treatment of minor injuries and everyday illnesses.
Patients pay an initial consultation fee of £29 to be seen quickly for minor ailments and can then opt to return to the NHS for treatment at any stage.
Casualty Plus will not take emergency patients, or those requiring an overnight stay, but is equipped with a resuscitation room for any unforeseen emergencies before transfer to an NHS hospital can be arranged.
People with life-threatening conditions or severe injuries are urged to dial 999 for an ambulance to an NHS A&E department.
The unit has also offered the services of its own radiographers to help the short-staffed local NHS hospital.
However, bosses stress that most of the staff are recruited from the private sector or overseas and it is not luring staff away from the NHS.
Chief executive Syed Jaffery said: ‘People are not prepared to wait longer than they need to and that change is reflected across the UK, not just in London.’
He added that there were additional charges for further treatment at the unit, such as x-rays and fitting a cast on broken limbs.
‘For the vast majority of people we expect to see, the average price will be somewhere between £50 to £100,’ Mr Jaffery explained
The company plans to open more of the £5 million units across the UK if the scheme is successful.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: ‘Patients know how to access NHS services and will continue to do so in the knowledge that it is both safe and free and they will be seen quickly.
‘All private health care services, including minor injuries/illness services such as this, are a well established part of the healthcare scene.’
