Next steps on NHS response to COVID-19

RNS Number : 5393G

Spire Healthcare Group PLC

18 March 2020

 

Spire Healthcare Group plc

("Spire Healthcare", "the Company" or "the Group")

Next steps on NHS response to COVID-19

18 March 2020

Further to its RNS published on Friday 13 March, Spire Healthcare (LSE: SPI), a leading UK independent hospital group, can today provide a further update on the cooperation between the NHS and the independent healthcare sector.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS Chief Executive, has written to the CEOs of all NHS trusts, foundation trusts, CCGs, GPs and providers of community health services clarifying arrangements between the NHS and independent sector and Spire Healthcare welcomes this development.

For clarity, in his letter, Sir Simon Stevens says:

NHS trusts should "postpone all non-urgent elective operations from 15^th April at the latest, for a period of at least three months. However, you also have full local discretion to wind down elective activity over the next 30 days as you see best."

"In the interim, providers should continue to use all available capacity for elective operations including the independent sector, before COVID constraints curtail such work."

and continues to say:

"Nationally we are now in the process of block-buying capacity in independent hospitals. This should be completed within a fortnight. Their staff and facilities will then be flexibly available to you for urgent surgery, as well as for repurposing their beds, operating theatres and recovery facilities to provide respiratory support for COVID-19 patients. "

Spire Healthcare confirms that it continues to provide both planned NHS and private care in its hospitals until the point when focus switches to supporting the Government's efforts in combatting this disease. Spire Healthcare remains fully committed to using the resources at its disposal to help the NHS.

We will update the market when further information is available

For further information please contact:

Spire Healthcare  Cora McCallum, Head of Investor Relations	[phone]
Instinctif Partners  Damian Reece Guy Scarborough	[phone]

Registered Office and Head Office:

Spire Healthcare Group plc
3 Dorset Rise
London
EC4Y 8EN

Registered number 09084066

About Spire Healthcare

Spire Healthcare is a leading independent hospital group in the United Kingdom, with 39 private hospitals and 8 clinics across England, Wales and Scotland.

Working in partnership with around 7,300 experienced consultants, Spire Healthcare delivered tailored, personalised care to approximately 810,000 in-patients and daycase patients in 2019, and is the leading private provider, by volume, of knee and hip operations in the United Kingdom.

The Group's well located and scalable hospitals have delivered successful and award-winning clinical outcomes, positioning the Group well with patients, consultants, the NHS, GPs and Private Medical Insurance ("PMI") providers. 85% of Spire Healthcare's hospitals are rated Good or Outstanding by the CQC (or the equivalent in Scotland and Wales).

Spire treats patients through a variety of routes including PMI, Self-pay and the NHS, providing the Group with diversified access to the expected growth opportunities in the UK healthcare market, which faces significant supply challenges as a result of NHS budget constraints and increasing demand from a growing population with longer life expectancy.

 

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