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How we work with consultants and referrers

As Moorfields Private is the UK-based private patient division of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, we only provide services to consultants whose NHS practice is based at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

These consultants are employed by Moorfields Eye Hospital in respect of their NHS practice, but with respect to their private practice, they are self-employed practitioners who see and treat patients under the terms of the Moorfields Private Practicing Privileges agreements.

The fees consultants charge to patients for the provision of their own professional services are set by them directly and are entirely separate to those charged to patients for hospital services provided by Moorfields Private.

In October 2014, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published the Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order 2014. This requires private hospitals and providers to publish information about services provided to referring clinicians.

Higher value services and direct incentives

A private hospital operator is prohibited from offering any direct incentive to, or creating an obligation on, a referring clinician to give preference to the facilities of that private hospital operator when treating private patients or referring private patients for treatment or tests.

Moorfields Private Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust do not offer any such direct incentives.

Consulting rooms, practice manager services, and private staff office space are charged to consultants at market rates.

Lower value services

We provide a number of support services to our consultants and referrers, for which we do not make a charge.

General services provided to ensure clinical safety:

  • In-house training courses and events
  • For consultants only: operational services such as patient admission, administrative services, and billing. Moorfields Private provides a billing service for some consultants, for which the consultant is charged a small fee
  • For consultants only: Moorfields Private does not provide insurance or indemnity to cover for the treatment of private patients. Moorfields Private is part of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and provides the usual protections for NHS consultants for NHS work.

Basic workplace amenities (for consultants only):

  • Tea and coffee is provided to consultants and all staff
  • Meals are not subsidised or provided free of charge
  • Stationery for the administration for Moorfields Private clinics
  • Parking spaces are not available to staff or consultants

General marketing:

  • For consultants only: website presence
  • For consultants only: inclusion in Moorfields Private consultant directories
  • For consultants only: occasional features in editorial content and general marketing opportunities
  • For consultants only: speaking opportunities at Moorfields Private education and general marketing events
  • Opportunity to participate in or attend general promotional and educational events

General corporate hospitality:

  • We do not offer corporate hospitality to consultants or referrers outside of general marketing, promotional or educational events
  • Any corporate hospitality as classified under the CMA ruling will be detailed here.

Financial interests

There are no consultants with financial interests in equipment used or services and facilities operated within or at our hospital.