There are a multitude of issues here:
- consultants are contracted to work something like 40-45 hours/week on average (some weeks they work more and some less). Any work done for the NHS beyond this time is essentially goodwill. Anything done out of this time doesn't apply.
- there are waiting lists for surgery and for clinics because of lack of resources. If you blocked a consultant from doing private work, they wouldn't just do more NHS work. They'd probably sit at home and watch TV or do something else. There are often not enough beds, theatres or staff to be able to do more work as well as the limit on what the NHS will employ consultants to do.
- there are some things the NHS won't fund and patients go privately. Indeed, patients are being
encouraged to go privately
clicky- consultants have a job plan where every day of their working life is accounted for and has to be approved first
- hospitals are allowed to have up to 50% (technically it's something like 49.9%) of their income from private services [consultant does procedure on patient on NHS premises and using NHS resources; both consultant and NHS get some of the money]
One could question whether it's a ploy to push some consultants out of the NHS, thereby creating a shortfall and hence disaster.
