SPIRE HEALTHCARE BUOYED BY INCREASED NHS REFERRALS

Belfast Telegraph - Hospital operator Spire Healthcare has swung to a first-half profit after it was buoyed by cost-cutting measures and increased numbers of NHS referrals. The group, which owns 39 hospitals and treats NHS patients as well as those paying privately or through medical insurance, is the UK’s second-largest private healthcare business. Spire reported a £9.6 million pre-tax profit for the six months to June 2019, rising from a £2.2 million loss in the same period in 2018. Last year, Spire was hit by lower revenue and tumbling profits as budget cuts at the NHS meant it spent less on referrals to large private providers. In the first half of 2019, revenue from the NHS “outperformed expectations"...>>>