ABSTRACT
The National Health Service (NHS) Plan states that 'for years there has been a stand-off between the NHS and private sector providers of healthcare. This has to end'. Private medicine is a highly competitive market, and hospitals and clinics have accordingly developed quality assurance programmes to maintain and improve standards. Private hospitals and clinics are subject to inspections by the Healthcare Commission in the same way as their NHS counterparts, and this plays an important role in regulating the independent healthcare sector through registration, annual inspection and enforcement. In private practice, with no nurse in attendance, the secretary may be asked to act as a chaperone during the consultant's examination of the patient. An essential quality is to be able to deal with patients in an efficient yet sympathetic manner, and to understand the emotions and concerns experienced by patients when they enter a clinical environment.
