Health Care as a Business?: The emergence of a commercial hospital sector in Britain

This paper examines the recent development of the private medical sector in Britain. It argues that while the present Government has acted to bolster the fortunes of private medicine, electoral considerations have formed an obstacle to the pursuit of more radical policies. Nevertheless, the private sector has grown considerably since 1979, which is in some measure due to the favourable climate induced by Government policy. The core features of the private sector are defined and the nature of its provision discussed. It is suggested that the private sector is undergoing a process of commercialisation similar in kind to that which has occurred in the health industry in the USA and partly in consequence organisational features of US health care are gaining currency among supporters of privatisation.