The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust has announced that it has bought Circle Bath – an independent hospital on the outskirts of the city at Peasedown St John that provides care for both private and NHS patients.

The acquisition of Circle Bath – which has now been renamed the Sulis Hospital Bath – will secure capacity for NHS patients at a critical time of recovery for NHS waiting lists nationally, as well as seeking to increase capacity at the facility for the benefit of all patients, both NHS and private.

The Trust says that patients do not need to do anything differently as a result of this acquisition and can be assured that they will receive the same

excellent care in a well-being-focussed environment in the knowledge that their care is backed by experts at the RUH.

RUH Chief Executive, Cara Charles-Barks, said: “We have a long-standing positive relationship with Sulis Hospital Bath, which provided significant support in caring for elective and cancer patients early in the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a really positive next step for us to take together and we’re really pleased to welcome Sulis staff to our RUH family.

“With our local health partners, we are absolutely committed to minimising the amount of time our patients have to wait for planned operations.

“Acquiring Sulis Hospital Bath will allow us to increase the number of NHS patients we treat, whilst maintaining high quality care for both private and NHS patients. We’ll be investing in the future of Sulis Hospital Bath for the benefit of our community.”

Lesley Lock, Sulis Hospital Bath Hospital Director, said: “The launch of Sulis Hospital Bath will be the second chapter to what has been an incredible first decade for our hospital. We are still a leading private healthcare facility offering outstanding care to patients in Bath and the surrounding areas and this will not change. With our new partner, we can grow and developand our services and expand our region’s healthcare offering for all patients.”

The Trust is also planning to increase diagnostic capacity using the facilities at Sulis Hospital Bath, providing quicker and easier access to a range of tests on the same day and supporting earlier diagnosis.

While the acquisition means that the Trust now owns 100% shares in Sulis Hospital Bath and that it is a subsidiary organisation of the RUH, the facility will continue to be directly managed by the same team.

Under the new ownership, any additional income earned from private healthcare will be reinvested in high quality services for all patients at the two hospital sites.

For more information please see the Trust’s website: https://www.ruh.nhs.uk/

The new website for Sulis Hospital Bath is: www.sulishospital.com