Supporting NHS Care Through Wells Health

How private patient services across Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Fordcombe hospitals benefit NHS patients.

Private patient services delivered within the NHS can be misunderstood. At Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), Wells Health plays a carefully governed role in supporting NHS care – helping to retain clinical expertise, offer patient choice, and reinvest income directly into NHS services.

Operating from dedicated private facilities at Fordcombe Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital, and alongside services at Maidstone Hospital and the Kent and Medway Orthopaedic Centre (KMOC), Wells Health is designed to complement, not compete with, NHS care. All activity follows NHS governance, with safeguards that protect access and  waiting times.

Keeping expertise and investment within the NHS

Many clinicians undertake private work outside the Trust. By offering private care in house through Wells Health, MTW keeps both specialist expertise and the income it generates within the NHS.

Unlike many standalone private hospitals, MTW sites can provide advanced diagnostics, robotic surgery, and access to HDU/ICU if needed – supporting safe, appropriate care for both NHS and private patients.

Reinvesting income to improve NHS services

Income from private care is used to improve NHS services for everyone, including:

• New equipment and enhanced facilities.
• Modernised theatres and additional elective capacity.
• Service developments that benefit all patients.

In 2024/25, Wells Health treated over 11,000 private patients, generating £6.4 million for the Trust – funds that are vital to local NHS services.

Patient choice – with safeguards for NHS access

Wells Health provides routes for self pay, insured, and international patients.

Capacity is ring fenced and carefully scheduled, with ongoing oversight to make sure NHS waiting times and core operations are protected. This integrated model enables patient choice while prioritising NHS care.

Clear governance and accountability

Private services at MTW operate within strict governance and financial frameworks,  with transparency around activity, income and reinvestment. This ensures private care supports the Trust’s wider clinical and operational goals and delivers measurable benefits for NHS patients.

Dr David Golden, Chief of Service for Wells Health and Consultant Anaesthetist (MTW):

“Our private services are not about profit – they are about reinvestment. By keeping private care within the NHS, we ensure the highest standards of safety and quality while creating resources that benefit everyone”.

Sarah Davis, Chief Operating Officer (MTW):

“Wells Health is about giving patients choice without compromising NHS access. It’s a symbiotic model that strengthens, rather than competes with, NHS care – allowing patients who wish to self fund to do so, while protecting capacity, governance, and waiting times for NHS patients”.

Supporting care today and into the future

Through careful governance and a clear focus on reinvestment, Wells Health supports the delivery of high quality NHS care across Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, and Fordcombe hospitals. It is one part of MTW’s wider commitment to safe, effective, and sustainable services for local communities – now and in the years ahead.

Ready to learn more or book a private appointment that supports the NHS?

View our business listing today: https://www.kentinvictachamber.co.uk/business-listings/wells-health/