Eight NHS trusts including Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals have assured the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) they will cease to share commercially sensitive information about private patient unit prices.

The OFT approached the trusts, known as the Southern Region Private Healthcare Association (SPHA), earlier in the year after a whistleblower highlighted the possible competition concerns about the pricing data being exchanged between them.

The eight hospital trusts have provided assurances that they will not exchange confidential pricing information and will provide further training to their staff on the importance of complying with competition law.

OFT will be writing to all NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts which operate private patient units which allow for private treatment in a hospital within the NHS.

Other trusts involved include Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHW Trust, Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust and East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust have since withdrawn from the SPHA.