Private hospitals ‘cannibalising’ NHS in England by doing 10% of elective operations

Campaigners say health service can’t provide care quickly because of underinvestment, which is allowing firms to ‘make a killing’

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Private hospitals are doing one in 10 of all planned NHS operations amid patients’ frustration at long delays for NHS care and political pressure to cut waiting times.

The new figures seen by the Guardian prompted campaigners to warn that the NHS is “allowing the private sector to make a killing” and is seeing more and more of its services “cannibalised” because years of underinvestment mean it can no longer provide care quickly.