Clause 149 - Payment of NHS charges to hospitals or ambulance trusts
Health and Social Care(Community Health and Standards) Bill
3:00 pm
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
I have a simple question, and I hope that the answer will equally simple. Under clause 15, as amended, private charges for care provided to patients, other than patients being provided with goods and services for the purposes of the health service, will be the subject of a cap for NHS foundation trusts. Can we be sure that charges made pursuant to this part of the Bill will not be defined as private charges for the purposes of the cap on NHS foundation trust income from private charges? If they are, trust income from private charges would be
variable, depending on how many road traffic accidents and injuries at work were treated.
Mr John Hutton (Minister of State, Department of Health; Barrow and Furness, Labour)
The reality is that if someone who was injured and who therefore came within the scope of the cost recovery scheme were to be treated as a private patient by the NHS, that income would clearly count and score against the private income cap. If the money were to be recovered, it certainly would not count as double counting of the same amount; but if the patient receives private treatment from the hospital, there is no doubt that it would score under clause 15. However, it would not be scored twice if the costs were recovered.
Mr Andrew Lansley (South Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
The Minister interprets my question in a way that is more complex than I intended. I understand that private patients will incur private charges. My question is whether the fact that treatment of an NHS patient is chargeable under the scheme will count towards the cap.
Mr John Hutton (Minister of State, Department of Health; Barrow and Furness, Labour)
It will certainly not score on that basis.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 149 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clauses 150 to 156 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Further consideration adjourned—[Jim Fitzpatrick.]
Adjourned accordingly at nine minutes past Three o'clock till Thursday 19 June at five minutes to Nine o'clock.