The Telegraph report:
Patients who can afford to pay are charged “Standard NHS prices” for operations such as cataract replacements, caesarean sections for non-medical reasons and knee surgery.
It means hospitals’ income has increased by £100 million since the Government gave them the freedom to earn more through private work last October, according to a freedom of information request obtained by the Daily Mirror.
One hospital gives cataract sufferers the option to “self-fund” their operation before their sight deteriorates to the level required for the NHS to operate.