Falling NHS outsourcing hurts Spire

Spire Healthcare (SPI) has contributed £27.6m to a compensation fund for the victims of disgraced cancer doctor Ian Paterson. The private healthcare company – where the now-convicted Mr Paterson was a consultant – agreed to settle out of court, but has still faced a backlash for the length of time it took for the case to be addressed. Aside from reputational damage, the settlement contributed the majority of the £32.1m of exceptional charges in the first half, which dented Spire’s bottom line.