Healthcare Providers' Charitable Status Under Scrutiny

Healthcare providers' charitable status under scrutiny

The Charity Commission has ruled that an organisation set up to provide private healthcare cannot be registered as a charity because it has not shown that people on a low income could afford its services.

The ruling could have far-reaching implications for the private healthcare industry, which has a number of providers, such as Nuffield Hospitals, The London Clinic and The Benenden Hospital, registered as charities.

The Charity Commission's ruling relates to Odstock Private Care Limited, which was set up with a loan from the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust to carry out private patient work using Salisbury District Hospital's facilities.

The Commission said Odstock's services were not shown to be available to the public at large, but only to those with the ability to pay its fees.

Andrew Hind, the Commission's chief executive, said: "Providing healthcare facilities can obviously be charitable, but not if those benefits are only available to those who have the means to pay, and not to others."

A spokesman for Nuffield Hospitals said: "The decision not to grant Odstock Private Care Limited charitable status shows just how key this issue is for charities and how important it is to be clear about what is meant by public benefit.

"While there are some similarities between Odstock Private Care Limited and Nuffield Hospitals, there are also differences. It is clear that the Charity Commission has carefully considered the specific circumstances of Odstock Private Care to reach this decision and this is by no means a suggestion that other similar organisations, such as Nuffield Hospitals, are not providing a benefit to the public."

Health Insurance & Protection.com