NHS patients are being sent to private hospitals across Scotland for urgent breast and skin cancer surgery so vital operations can go ahead while the health service focuses on covid-19.

The national Scottish Government initiative, which involves four private hospitals, was set up to reduce pressure on the health service as it ringfenced beds for coronavirus patients and ensure the most important procedures can continue through the pandemic.

NHS Lothian, one of the health boards that is involved in the programme, says it is sending patients private to make sure they get vital surgery as “early as possible”.

There are concerns the risks of catching covid-19 in hospitals also dealing with virus patients, which makes recovery from surgery more dangerous, could outweigh the potential benefits an operation can have.

The hospitals being used as part of the initiative are BMI Albyn in Aberdeen, BMI Kings Park in Stirling, the Glasgow’s Nuffield hospital and the Murrayfield hospital in Edinburgh, which is run by Spire.

In an interview with healthandcare.scot, one of the UK’s top surgeons said private hospitals were well-placed to be used as ‘covid-free hubs’ that could be used to protect patients needing surgery.

President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Professor Michael Griffin said: “The good thing about the private institutions is that they can be kept covid-light, covid-deficient. Why? because they are not an acute admitting hospital so they are not bringing in all the patients who are suffering from covid symptoms.”

He added that more minor procedures such as breast and skin cancer surgery did not need the infrastructure of a major hospital and were well-suited to private facilities.

Professor Griffin, who represents more than 26,000 surgeons worldwide, also said the NHS urgently needs a plan to deal with the “huge” backlog of cancelled procedures that is building up.

In Edinburgh the NHS has been using the local private hospital for a wider range of cancers and is currently considering using more.

NHS Lothian Medical Director Dr Tracey Gillies said: “We want to ensure the best outcome where possible for our patients with cancer.

“For that reason breast, colorectal and urology services have identified patients to be treated at the Spire Murrayfield Hospital to increase access to treatment as early as possible and to minimise possible risk to Covid-19 in a non-acute setting.”

In a statement released earlier this month Spire said it had agreed to make staff, facilities, equipment and services at the facility available to NHS Scotland for an initial three-month period.

Similar agreements have been reached in Wales and England, where the entire private health sector was effectively block-booked by NHS bosses.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are working closely with our private sector hospitals across Scotland and have been for a number of weeks.

“Private sector capacity in Scotland is very small with around 250 available beds.

“NHS patients have already started transferring to the private sector for urgent elective procedures, specifically for the surgical treatment of cancer patients, to ensure this urgent work continues, and to create space in NHS Scotland facilities.

“We value the close working relationship that we have established.”

Sign up to our bulletin sent twice a week so you don’t miss out on the latest health and social care news.