Hospitals in region could offer expertise abroad

Hospitals in Sheffield could join some of Britain’s best known centres of excellence such as Great Ormond Street, the Royal Marsden and Guy’s and St Thomas’s in London in the initiative to raise funds for patients at home and promote the international profile of the NHS.

Sir Andrew Cash, chief executive at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said hospitals in the city were already “internationally renowned”.

“In light of this announcement we will be considering future opportunities to provide our expertise further afield but only on the basis that it brings benefit and reinvestment into the NHS locally. At this point of time we have no firm plans in place,” he added.

The venture last night sparked criticism from campaigners. Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: “At a time of huge upheaval in the health service, when waiting times are rising and trusts are being asked to make £20 billion of efficiency savings, this is another concerning distraction. The priority of the Government, hospital trusts and clinicians should be NHS patients.”

Shadow health minister Jamie Reed said: “At a time when staff are losing their jobs and waiting times are rising, the Government’s priority should be sorting out the mess it has created in our NHS. Under David Cameron we’re seeing a rampant commercialisation of the NHS.”

But Health Minister Anne Milton said NHS patients would get better services at their local hospital as a result of the work the NHS was doing abroad and the extra investment that would generate.

“This is also good news for the economy, which will benefit from the extra jobs and revenue created by our highly successful life sciences industries as they trade more across the globe.

“The NHS has a world-class reputation, and this exciting development will make the most of that to deliver real benefits for both patients and taxpayers.”

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