Concerns about patient safety and a conflict of interest have been raised by a union over a private firm's multimillion-pound hospital contract to tackle waiting lists.
Bristol-based NHS consultants Dr Matthew Molyneux and Dr Neil Rasburn run Glanso UK, which uses some NHS facilities and staff for out-of-hours operations.
Trade union Unison has warned of a conflict of interest, as the pair operate privately for their NHS employer. It said it also feared NHS staff working extra hours were at risk of burnout.
Glanso, which declared profits of £2.6m in the past year, said insourcing could be cheaper for the NHS than outsourcing and staff hours could be better monitored to ensure patient safety.
Insourcing sees private companies work outside normal hours and pay to use spare operating theatre capacity.
In Glanso UK's case, it pays a portion of the money it receives as part of its contracts to the hospitals it uses. It is all within the rules and no-one is compelled to work extra shifts, it says.
Date: 16 November