Dr Cath Spencer-Smith
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
Dr Spencer-Smith provides medical advisory services for HCA's Wellington Hospital and The London Bridge Hospital. In these roles, Dr Spencer-Smith leads interactions with hospital medical staff and each hospital's leadership team to assist the hospitals by providing medical advice and promote high quality, cost effective care in the areas of Orthopaedic group and Sports and Exercise Medicine serices.
In her role, she contributes to the strategy, policies and decision making regarding sports and exercise treatments and advises HCA to ensure that care provided within the facility is appropriate and efficient. In her role, Dr Spencer-Smith advises on initiatives to drive clinical standards by providing professional advice on clinical governance matters and ensuring the adoption of those by colleagues in the sports and exercise medicine area. She participates in promotional initiatives to promote The Wellington Hospital and her specialist services. She provides professional support in relation to the recruitment and training of clinical staff.
In addition, she works with medical insurance companies, GPs, other relevant local NHS contacts, and patients to educate and advise on relevant clinical updates to treatments in sports and exercise medicine available in the facility. Furthermore, she advises on the accuracy of literature that may be published regarding relevant services. She will also advise on how to make the patient referral smooth to reduce stress and anxiety for patients.
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 for these services was £14,852.
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.