Prof Chris Edwards
Transparency under the CMA Order 2014
All private healthcare operators are required under the Competition and Markets Authority Order 2014 (“The CMA Order”) to be transparent about the relationship between their doctor and the private healthcare operator. Therefore, prospective patients should be aware that (in addition to being permitted to consult with and to treat patients at our facilities) this doctor also has an advisory role with HCA UK and is paid by HCA UK for this advisory role. We describe the nature of the role below, and we indicate how much the doctor has been paid for performing the role since 1 January 2023
Prof Edwards is a member of The London Lupus Centre, which is designed to provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art diagnostic facility for patients with lupus and lupus-related conditions. It is based at the London Bridge Hospital, one of the largest private specialist hospitals in the UK. The centre also offers a full rheumatic disease clinical service.
The London Lupus Centre team comprises leading consultants. Together, the consultants contribute their significant leadership experience from across NHS hospitals and world-famous universities.
This group of doctors provides medical advisory services for HCA's London Bridge Hospital, particularly in lupus services. In their role, they lead interactions with hospital medical staff and the hospital leadership team to assist the hospital by providing medical advice and promote high quality, cost effective care.
In their role, they contribute to the strategy, policies and decision making regarding lupus and advise HCA to ensure that care provided within the facility is appropriate and efficient. In their role, they advise on initiatives to drive clinical standards by providing professional advice on clinical governance matters and ensuring the adoption of those by colleagues for treatment of lupus.
In addition, they work with medical insurance companies, GPs, other relevant local NHS contacts, and patients to educate and advise on relevant clinical updates to treatments in lupus available in the facility. Furthermore, they advise on the accuracy of literature that may be published regarding relevant services. They will also advise on how to make the patient referral smooth to reduce stress and anxiety for patients.
This team of doctors is responsible for monitoring and reporting of all treatment outcomes for the facility, as well as performing a comprehensive audit of treatment outcomes. They assist HCA in the preparation and implementation of policies and procedures for the facility to ensure quality assurance and compliance with all relevant UK legislation and regulations. They also assist HCA in thinking about how to ensure patients are able to easily access the unit allowing more patients to access care.
HCA UK is charged by doctors in return for their expertise and advice, including on how to operate safe hospital facilities delivering complex care. All services provided under this agreement are charged to HCA UK. In 2023 the total paid to this group of seven doctors for these services was £104,176.
If a doctor provides HCA UK with medical advisory services and also practises in the NHS, HCA UK requires that doctor to attest that he/she is not compromising his/her NHS commitments in so doing.