Bath NHS trust purchases hospital 'to help tackle waiting lists'

The Sulis Hospital Bath in Peasedown St John will cater for NHS and private patients

Bath NHS Foundation Trust has purchased an independent city hospital for an undisclosed fee, in a move it said would help reduce waiting lists.

The trust has bought Circle Bath on the outskirts of the city, a facility that treats both NHS and private patients.

It said the purchase price was commercially sensitive information.

Chief executive Cara Charles-Barks said the move would allow more NHS patients to be treated. The hospital has been renamed the Sulis Hospital Bath.

'Minimising waiting times'

Ms Charles-Banks said the hospital in Peasedown St John provided support for the trust early in the Covid-19 pandemic by caring for elective and cancer patients.

"Acquiring Sulis Hospital Bath will allow us to increase the number of NHS patients we treat, whilst maintaining high quality care for both private and NHS patients," she said.

"With our local health partners, we are absolutely committed to minimising the amount of time our patients have to wait for planned operations."

The trust said the purchase would secure capacity for NHS patients at a critical time of recovery for waiting lists nationally.

Investment would be made at the hospital, to allow it to provide quicker access to a range of tests and support earlier diagnosis, it said.

The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust provides care for about 500,000 people in the Bath area.