[Margaret Pilkington]

I am not sure if it is still the same, but when I worked in the NHS, these services were contracted out to the private hospitals and from my recollections the consultants did not get paid the private rate.
I have a friend who was a gynae consultant and this information was from her

The situation of using private hospitals like Beardwood and Gisburn park was because they had facilities lying idle and if my memory serves me right the facilities were loaned to NHS so that the hospitals were getting a guaranteed income.
Well, that is how it used to work anyway.