4 minute read
LEADING THE WAY IN HEALTHCARE
Marcel Levi, Chief Executive Offi cer, University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust
LEADING THE WAY IN HEALTHCARE
1 University College Hospital, located on Euston Road, is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (PHOTO: UCLH)
In 2017, the UK was rated by the Commonwealth Fund as having the best healthcare system out of a pool of 11 developed countries – including the United States, Canada, Norway and Germany – an award it retained from the previous survey in 2014. With the lion’s share of all UK healthcare being delivered by the National Health Service (NHS), this is a ringing endorsement for the quality of the treatment that Private Patient Units in an NHS hospital can provide.
Being able to o er private care to patients who would not otherwise be able to access our extraordinary health service in the UK is a real privilege, and we are delighted to be able to treat and support international patients on this basis. For example, at UCLH, being able to o er our state-of-the-art teenage cancer service privately has meant that children from all over the world are now able to receive cutting-edge treatment, such as the latest CAR-T cell immunotherapy for cancer, that is not available in their home countries. It also means that our worldclass neurologists and neurosurgeons at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (Queen Square) can care for many more patients than if we were limited to only treating those eligible for NHS care.
Strong academic links
There are so many benefi ts for patients who choose to have their care in an NHS Private Patient Unit. For example, NHS teaching hospitals in London are a liated with some of the world’s most highly regarded medical research centres, with some consultants employed by both institutions in a dual clinical and research role. These consultants can run clinical trials within the NHS environment, resulting
in new techniques, approaches and treatments rapidly becoming available to patients. In these hospitals, private patients are more likely to have access to the most cutting-edge treatment options.
London has leading centres for research and, at UCLH, we work in partnership with University College London (UCL) and our biomedical research centre to takes pioneering research from bench to bedside. This speed of access to new treatment options is something we can oer only because of the close relationship between our hospital and the academic sector in the UK.
Multidisciplinary approach to care
Having a Private Patient Unit within a large, multi-specialty NHS hospital also brings about other benefits. The high degree of specialism and complex work in areas such as neurological conditions, cancer and paediatrics attracts many consultants, nurses and allied health professionals to the workforce. This, is turn, supports the development of a highly specialist and, in fact, sub-specialist, team. Sub-specialists can then work together as part of a multi-disciplinary approach to care, with each team member able to provide a dierent perspective on the patient’s condition. This holistic approach means that NHS hospitals are able to tailor treatment plans extremely eectively, leading to a better patient experience and improved outcomes.
Patients with additional health complications or co-morbidities can also have straightforward access to specialists from other clinical backgrounds. For example, a neurology patient who may also have problems with diabetes would be able to access the most appropriate specialists for their needs.
And, of course, NHS hospitals also have a high level of back-up emergency support – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – including on-site intensive care and high-dependency facilities, if required. Many private patients find such a level of support very reassuring, and it makes an NHS hospital one of the safest places to choose for private care.
Modern private facilities
NHS Private Patient Units across London continue to invest in improving the physical environment for patients, providing a space to recover that is of a comparable standard to other private facilities. Modern, en suite bedrooms are available and Private Patient Units oer all the expected hotel services expected of a private provider, including a variety of menu options (with halal, kosher, vegan and vegetarian options) and in-room entertainment.
For international patients, we understand that providing a home away from home is a key part of recovery. Advocacy services, where a dedicated team member will
support patients with translation, pastoral support and navigation through their care in the UK, are available in many hospitals. Spiritual care, specially adapted menus and translation services for other languages are also a staple part of patient care in NHS Private Patient Units.
There is one final benefit of choosing an NHS Private Patient Unit. All profits made by these units are reinvested in NHS services, meaning that your investment goes much further than treating the paying patient. It means that, as well as being able to treat patients from overseas, we can also develop innovative services and better healthcare for all our patients, which really is something we can be proud of.
2-3 NHS Private Patient Units aim to provide a home away from home for international patients (PHOTOS: UCLH)