Archive for January, 2010

The Office of Fair Trading has announced it will study the private healthcare market in its first review of the sector for more than a decade.

The consumer watchdog is concerned that a handful of providers dominate the market and form a barrier to entry for new private hospitals.

The private healthcare market was worth £6.1 billion in 2009 and is growing because of the ageing population.

Yet according to industry publication Laing’s Healthcare Market Review the independent hospital sector is dominated by five main operators. And the private medical insurance market is led by the same number of major players who account for 80% of business.

A spokesperson for the consumer watchdog believes “patients might not be getting the best deal they could”.

Marcus Evans presents healthcare industry events, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.

The over-50s travel and insurance specialist Saga has agreed to purchase Nestor Healthcare for £124 million.

Nestor operates a range of social and primary care services nationwide such as providing carers for elderly and ill people at home.

The firm has a care network covering the North of England while Saga’s offering is based in the South. The purchase will allow Saga to significantly expand its presence in the UK healthcare market.

Andrew Goodsell is the executive chairman of Saga and believes “there is real potential to develop a major national branded healthcare business for our customers and Nestor’s work in recent years will help us achieve this”.

Shares in Nestor have risen more than 30% since the company rejected Saga’s original offer in August. The acquisition is subject to shareholder approval.

Marcus Evans presents healthcare industry events, created by experienced professionals and with information presented by industry experts.