Ms Susan Clyne:

We make the point that the public services and the private services should open in tandem, based on patient clinical need, so that we will know where we are across the system at any one time. In designing the new agreement, we will have to consider what exactly we now want from the private hospitals. Is it to be like the UK model, in which some targeted purchasing is negotiated? We hope it will not be based on the National Treatment Purchase Fund system but are greatly concerned that it will be.