Contribution of the private sector to elective surgery in England and Wales

From a sample of 12 959 records of patients treated in 148 of the 153 independent acute hospitals in England and Wales in 1981, it was estimated that 344 008 patients were admitted during that year. Residents of England and Wales admitted for inpatient elective surgery other than termination of pregnancy represented 162 000 of these cases. From 1980 Hospital Inpatient Enquiry data it was estimated that a further 57 000 similar elective treatments were undertaken in National Health Service pay-beds. The 219 000 patients treated in the combined private sector represented 13.2% of the total case-load in domestic inpatient elective surgery. For certain operations this proportion rose to 26%, and for some regions the private sector cases represented more than 20% of the total work-load; therefore when assessing the need for, and provision of, acute health care in England and Wales, the contribution of the private sector cannot be ignored.