In a recent breaking reveal, the Sunday Times has brought to light a massive scandal involving psychiatrists who take thousands of pounds from upmarket private clinics as inducements for referring vulnerable people. A psychiatrist was filmed by an undercover reporter, admitting that he had been paid a huge sum, approximately £50,000 for referring a single female patient. Another doctor agreed to pay back £76,000 in referral fees to his patients after being confronted with documentary evidence.
Surrey-based clinic Life Works is responsible for paying some of the kickbacks. Owned by the Priory Group, the clinic is famed for treating celebrities such as Kate Moss, Robbie Williams and Eric Clapton. Several British doctors are also said to have been paid one-off fees of £19,000 for referring patients by the Kusnacht Practice. Whistleblowers said the clinic handed out an enormous reward fee estimated to be at least £150,000 to a UK-based medical professional who referred the late singer George Michael to the practice two years ago. In turn, it is believed to have charged the singer £1.5 million.
Prohibited under General Medical Council (GMC) rules, the commissions are blamed for increasing the cost of private care at a time when NHS treatment is under pressure. GMC Chief Executive Charlie Massey said, “These are serious allegations; patients must be able to trust their doctor and have confidence that they are putting their best interests first. Doctors must not allow any financial interests to affect the way they treat their patients.”
A list that has been circulating last year has allegedly implicated a number of eminent psychiatrists who make money off of sending away patients. One of them, Dr Bhaskar Punukollu even admitted to the payments being “extremely helpful” in the past. “Believe me, I loved it,” he said. Dr Punukollu had been paid referral fees on many occasions to pass on his patients to Life Works. “I used to send quite a few people to Life Works and they'd pay £80 or £90 a day, which worked really well because we didn't have to see the patients.” The daily payments often mounted to thousands of pounds because patients typically stay in rehab for a minimum of 28 days. Punukollu hit jackpot when he referred one woman who remained in Life Works for 18 months.
He was not the only psychiatrist to admit taking kickbacks. Life Works is not the only upmarket clinic offering such business. The revelation came to light as sufferers of addictive disorders are increasingly being driven to seek private treatment because of difficulties in accessing such services on the NHS. Sarah Wollaston, Conservative MP for Totnes and chairwoman of the health select committee, has urged the GMC to take action. “These payments should not be offered or accepted. There is a case for the GMC to set up a register of interests, like the register of MPs' interests, so that payments from industry to doctors, including those undertaking medical research, can be visible to the public.”
