A PRIVATE hospital could be built in the grounds of Salisbury District Hospital.

Salisbury health bosses have given the go-ahead for a detailed report on the idea after being assured that NHS patients would "reap the benefits" of having a private hospital in their midst.

The emotive idea came before Salisbury Health Care Trust on Monday and received support in principle from board members, who heard that a private patients unit within the district hospital site at Odstock would create advantages all round.

It was too early to say who might run the hospital or what size it might be but it would be in addition to Salisbury's only other private hospital, New Hall, in Bodenham.

Some 170 private patients are already treated each year in the district hospital. They would become patients in the new unit, freeing beds and theatre space for NHS patients.

The idea has the support of consultants at the district hospital, some of whom already work on average two days a week treating private patients.

They favour having a private and an NHS hospital on a single site because it removes the need for patients to travel between hospitals for treatment

Director of operations for the trust Peter Hill told members the idea was very much in line with government policy, which favours a private/public partnership. He told the trust: "The idea is that NHS patients benefit from a partnership.

"Those trusts that have gone down this route have reaped benefits and generated additional income."