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Our relationship with NHS Trusts in the UK

As part of the independent healthcare sector in the UK, we play an important role in supporting the NHS. We have worked together for over 70 years and are proud of our relationship which ranges from direct provision of NHS care in our dental practices, care homes and the Cromwell hospital, to the important role that NHS Trusts play in our health insurance hospital network.

NHS Trusts are permitted under their constitution to obtain additional revenue from the independent sector by providing private (non-NHS) services on a commercial for-profit basis.
Through our health insurance business, we have contracts with almost 100 NHS trusts, spending many millions of pounds on the healthcare services they provide our customers. These hospitals are a small but important part of our network, often offering more specialist services or providing treatment in regions where there are few independent hospitals. These relationships also provide valuable income for the NHS Trusts.

We hold contracts with all the hospitals in our networks – both independent and NHS - to agree prices for the services they provide and to establish the rules and procedures to govern our relationship together. We seek to ensure that the terms we agree with all hospitals are reasonable, consistent and fair.

Our contracts include an obligation for hospitals to submit any invoices to us within six months of treatment. This is to ensure that we can manage customers’ policy allowances and let them know in a reasonable timeframe if there are any costs they need to pay the hospital themselves. Also, if we don’t receive invoices on time, we don’t have a true picture of customers’ claims when their cover is due to renew and are unable to price their future policies accurately.

This is common practice across health insurers and NHS England also requires hospitals to submit treatment details within defined timeframes to receive NHS funding under the NHS standard contract.

We have a good working relationship with our NHS Trust partners. However, as with any commercial relationship, on the rare occasion when there’s a disagreement, we work closely and professionally with them to resolve any issues.