Luciana Berger MP, Labour’s Shadow Public Health Minister, responding to figures showing income from private patients has soared in NHS hospital trusts, said:

“Under David Cameron patients are increasingly being left facing the agonising choice of waiting longer for treatment or paying to go private. It is yet more evidence that he cannot be trusted with the NHS.

"Ministers were warned that allowing hospitals to turn over half their beds to private patients risked longer waiting times for NHS patients. That is exactly what we are now seeing.

"Labour will introduce proper safeguards on private patient income to ensure NHS patients are always put first and we will put the right values back at the heart of the NHS.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

‘Income from private patients soars at NHS hospital trusts’
www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/19/private-patient-income-soars-nhs-privatisation