Compliance with CMA Order 2014

In October 2014, the Competition and Markets Authority (the "CMA") published the Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order 2014 (the "Order") following its investigation into the private healthcare industry. The Order imposed requirements on private hospital operators to disclose certain information in relation to referring clinicians (as defined by the Order) for the benefit of patients. Full details about the investigation and the Order can be found on the CMA web page. The information provided by Spire Healthcare below is required by the Order.

"Higher value" services

The services provided at Spire Cardiff Hospital to referring clinicians and the amounts charged by Spire for those services are set out below:

  • Use of consulting rooms: £20.80 per hour
  • Medical secretarial services: £24.37 per hour
  • Office rental £350 per desk per month (pro rata for usage)

“Low value” services

The following “low-value” services are also provided to referring clinicians with practising privileges at this hospital:

  • General services to ensure clinical safety (eg in-house training, chaperones) 
  • Operational services such as patient bookings/admissions (including online booking and payment for consultations), access to a virtual consultation solution, administrative services and billing, and insurance/indemnity cover in respect of NHS patients 
  • General marketing support, including production of consultant directories, promotional activities, web profiles etc
  • Basic workplace amenities such as teas/coffees/refreshments, subsidised meals, car parking, stationery

Corporate hospitality events for referring clinicians

Spire group Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) Chairs conferences

Spire group Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) Chairs conferences are held twice a year, focusing on clinical safety and governance issues. MAC Chairs from all of Spire’s hospitals are invited to attend, with their partners, and are joined by members of Spire’s senior management.

  • In 2017, the conferences were held in Berlin and Aylesbury and the total cost of the events was approximately £85,000 and £25,000 respectively.
  • In 2018, a conference was held in Berlin and the total cost of the event was approximately £88,000.
  • In 2019, the conferences were held in Lisbon and Aylesbury and the total cost of the events was approximately £95,000 and £28,400. MAC Chairs were also invited to attend the Spire Healthcare Senior Management Conference in Birmingham in June 2019 (8 MAC Chairs attended at a cost of £845 per head).
  • No conferences were held in 2020.
  • In 2021, conferences were held virtually via Zoom as well as face to face in Aylesbury. The total cost of the events in 2021 was approximately £2,120 and £19,300 respectively. 
  • In 2022, the conferences were held in May at Spire’s head office in London and in November at Oulton Hall, Leeds. The total cost of the events in 2022 were approximately £6,463 and £20,338 respectively.
  • In 2023, the conferences were held in June at M Restaurant in London and in November at The Midland Hotel, Manchester. The total cost of the events in 2023 were approximately £2,931 and £20,389 respectively.

In 2019, Spire Healthcare held a series of 5 dinners with 70 consultants from across 5 Spire hospitals for the purpose of meeting various members of the Spire Executive team and listening to and engaging with consultants. The cost of the dinners ranged from £60 to £80 per head. No dinners were held in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Corporate hospitality events

Corporate hospitality events held by the hospital at no charge to referring clinicians are set out below, together with the cost of providing such events: 

  • Six Nations Rugby - Wales V England: £396 per head (23/02/2019)
  • Six Nations Rugby - Wales V Ireland: £396 per head (16/03/2019)
  • Consultant and Staff Party Summer party on the 21 June the tickets on this occasion have been subsidised to the order of £80.48 for consultants and staff and  £65.48 for partners/ guests with 20% of the ticket sales being donated to our local charity MIND (21/06/2019)
  • Wales V England World Cup warm up game: £396 per head (17/08/2019)
  • Wales V Ireland Word Cup warm up game: £396 per head (31/08/2019)
  • Wales V Barbarians: £396 per head (30/11/2019)
  • Quarter 4 MAC meeting and Christmas supper for MAC members and SMT: £130.13 per head x 19 (12/12/2019)
  • Wales V Italy: £250 per head (01/02/2020)
  • Wales V France: £250 per head (22/02/2020)
  • Q1 MAC meeting and annual dinner – 18 consultants (plus 5 x SMT) - total costs - £2,275.26 (16/03/2022)
  • Orthopaedic Speciality dinner – 21 consultants (plus 7 SMT and HoDS) - £2,148.60 (29/09/2022)
  • Q3 Summer Party for consultants and staff £3,210 with £1657.00 donated to BHF
  • General Surgery speciality dinner - 12 consultants plus 6 SMT - £1,522.63 (27/10/2022)
  • MAC Christmas gift – 18 x Fortnum & Mason hampers - £1,024.95 (includes delivery charge) (16/11/2022)
  • Cardiology consultants business review meeting - 6 consultants plus 4 staff -  £427.69 (£38.88 per person) (16/02/2023)
  • MAC annual dinner - 20 - £2,137.56 (17/03/2023)
  • Ophthalmology business review meeting, 10 consultants plus 6 staff - £1,855.86 (£116 per person) (19/04/2023)
  • ENT/dermatology business development meeting -  9 consultants plus 6 staff - £1,407.54 (£93.84 per person) - (21/05/2023)
  • MAC Chair thank you dinner - £318.84 (02/08/2023)
  • Business Development dinner - 1 consultant (plus 2 SMT) - £135.90 (25/04/2023)
  • MAC Christmas gifts - 17 x wines including delivery - £425 (30/10/2023)
  • AGM - 43 attendees, dinner and drinks - £3,704 (including room hire) (02/11/2023)
  • Cardiology consultants business review meeting - 6 consultants, 4 staff - £427.69 (£42.77 per head) (16/02/23)
  • Ophthalmology business review meeting, 10 consultants, 6 staff - £1,855.86 (£116 per head) (19/04/23)
  • ENT/dermatology business development meeting - 9 consultants, 6 staff - £1,407.54 (£93.84 per head) (31/05/2024)
  • Cardiology business review - 7 consultants 5 staff - £1011.83 (£84.32 per head) (04.06.2024)
  • MAC annual dinner - 14 consultant 3 staff - £2391.48 (£140.68 per head) (03.04.2024)
  • Ophthalmology dinner - 10 consultants 4 staff £971.37 (£69.38 per head) (05.03.2024)
  • Orthopaedic business review - 6 consultants, 3 staff £1191.88 (£132.43 per head) (07.02.2024)

Clinician financial interests in Spire Healthcare

Private hospital operators are required to disclose details of referring clinicians practising at their facilities, who have a share or financial interest in those facilities or any equipment used there. Some clinicians may own shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc, which were acquired either at the admission price or through trading on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. Where a referring clinician has an individual web page profile on this hospital website, relevant shares and/or financial interests are disclosed there. For referring clinicians who do not have an individual profile, their shares and/or financial interests are shown below:

  • Dr Aravindh Jayakumar holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Mr Michael Fardy holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Dr Subramaniam Balachandran holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Professor Dhavendra Kumar holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Mr Roger McPherson holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Mr Daniel Morris holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Dr Neeraj Saxena holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Dr Mabs Chowdhury holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Mr Hrishi Joshi holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Mr Mohammed Muhtaseb holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Dr Robert Bleehen holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Dr Magid Rashid holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Mr Mark Sandby-Thomas holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Mr Rhidian Morgan-Jones holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Mr Amit Gaur holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Dr John Francis holds less than 0.1% of the shares in Spire Healthcare Group plc
  • Mr Andrew James owns 100% of the Gait Analysis equipment
  • Dr Ramsey Sabit owns 100% of the Spirometery Machine
  • Dr Patrick Flood-Page owns 100% of the Spirometery Machine
  • Dr Jose Thomas owns 100% of the sleep study equipment Pulsox 300i and Alice TDx

Clinician advisory services to Spire Healthcare

Private hospital operators are required to disclose details of certain paid services provided by referring clinicians to private hospitals operators in addition to exercising practising privileges at that hospital. This information can be found on the referring clinician’s individual web page profile on this hospital website or as follows:

  • Dr Goringe - provides haematology and blood transfusion, attending meetings with pathology where required and advising on policies paid £8,000 per annum
  • Dr Al-Sabah – provides haematology and blood transfusion, attending meetings with pathology where required and advising on policies paid £16,000 per annum
  • Dr Datta – clinical chemistry advice, attending meetings  with pathology where required and advising on policies paid £7,800 per annum
  • Dr Gaur – microbiological advice, attending meetings with pathology where required and advising on policies paid £4,800 per annum
  • Dr Kubiak – microbiological advice, attending meetings with pathology where required and advising on policies paid £4,800 per annum
  • Mr Blackshaw - for providing advice and polices for endoscopy JAG accreditation and attending meetings when required paid £5,000 per annum
  • Mr Guy Blackshaw Consultant Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon is Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee at Spire Cardiff Hospital. Their role is to provide senior professional advice to the Hospital Director and Director of Clinical Services in order to support effective medical governance and oversight. They are paid £14,000 per annum for this role and are also entitled to receive the following fees for the provision of additional ad hoc services: (i) £750 for chairing a Professional Review Committee; (ii) £200 per hour for attendance at regulatory or other national body meeting (capped at £500); (iii) £500 for each annual medical appraisal undertaken for a doctor designating to Spire for the purposes of revalidation; (iv) £1,000 per annum for undertaking the role of governance lead in addition to MAC Chair; and (v) £200 per hour for the preparation of an independent report (up to a maximum of £500 per report unless otherwise agreed due to complexity) upon request by the Medical Director or Chief Medical Officer.
  • Dr Huw Davis provides the hospital and medical society with an anaesthetic pre-assessment advice for complex patients, with both face to face patient reviews and triage of notes. Dr Davis is paid an hourly rate of £200. In 2020 Dr Davis was paid £1,200 for this position. In 2021 Dr Davis was paid £16,050 for this position. In 2023 Dr Davis was paid £3,525 for this position. 
  • Dr Ian Bowler provides the hospital and medical society with an anaesthetic pre-assessment advice for complex patients, with both face to face patient reviews and triage of notes. Dr Bowler is paid an hourly rate of £200. In 2020 Dr Bowler was paid £9,000 for this position. In 2021 Dr Bowler was paid £11,175 for this position. In 2023 Dr Bowler was paid £18,875 for this position. 
  • Dr Rhidian Jones provides the hospital and medical society with an anaesthetic pre-assessment advice for complex patients, with both face to face patient reviews and triage of notes. Dr Jones is paid an hourly rate of £200. Between January-September 2023 Dr Jones was paid £3,075 for this position.
  • Dr Rahul Guru provides the hospital and medical society with an anaesthetic pre-assessment advice for complex patients, with both face to face patient reviews and triage of notes. Dr Guru is paid an hourly rate of £200. In 2023 Dr Guru was paid £2,000 for this position.