NHS reverses private-school tuition bans after public outcry
After investigative reporting highlighted discriminatory hospital tuition policies, NHS trusts in London and Scotland have scrapped charges that barred privately educated children from free schooling and treatment.
Investigations revealed that some NHS trusts charged privately educated children £115 an hour for hospital tuition, while state-school patients received free lessons. The policy sparked anger after a nine-year-old cancer patient in Edinburgh was denied a tutor, prompting debate in the Scottish Parliament and a vote by Edinburgh City Council to end the fee. The London Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust also backed down after refusing treatment to an eight-year-old boy because of his private-school status, later apologising and providing care.
Another trust in Sussex continues to refuse a similar case, despite NHS England’s statement that access should depend only on clinical need. Parents praised the exposure of the policies and thanked the campaign that brought them to light.
Why it matters
It shows how public pressure can force health services to drop class-based discrimination in patient care.
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