Plans by the Department of Health and UK Trade and Investment to encourage more NHS hospitals to explore international opportunities have been widely covered in the media. Some news articles have mentioned the existing international work done by Great Ormond Street Hospital.
As part of its International and Private Patients (IPP) service, Great Ormond Street Hospital provides training, education and support in the Gulf region, in partnership with the Dubai Health Authority and the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health, to enhance paediatric services in the government hospitals there. The IPP service also treats private patients from overseas at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Overall, the IPP service generates about ten per cent (based upon 2011/12) of the hospital’s clinical income each year. This money is directly reinvested into the hospital to the benefit of all patients. Over 85 per cent of this income comes from patients from abroad, and is mostly sourced from patients’ home governments to enable them to receive treatment they cannot get at home. The total clinical income for Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2011/12 was £289.3 million, of which the IPP income was £28.2 million.
