New research has revealed that US companies now provide 1 in 8 inpatient mental health beds in England.
In some areas this chance is much higher. In Manchester there is a 50:50 chance that you will be admitted to a privately owned hospital and a one in four chance of the bed being provided by an American-owned company.
About £1.8bn of the £13.8bn spent by the NHS on mental healthcare in 2018, including non hospital services, went to the private sector, according to separate figures from healthcare consultancy Laing Buisson.
With a Christmas election upcoming, figures such as this will be at the heart of health policy debate.
Full story on Financial Times, 8 November 2019.
