According to Practice Plus Group, joining Bupa’s network will enable the hospital group to bring its brand of fast access to high-quality surgery, Wellsoon, to Bupa customers. The addition of Practice Plus Group will also enable Bupa insurance customers to choose from Practice Plus Group’s 10 hospitals and surgical centres to complete their surgery, within four to six weeks of calling Bupa.

Practice Plus Group hospitals specialise in orthopaedics, for example hip and knee replacements, general surgery, and ophthalmology. The hospitals are all rated as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and, as a provider of NHS services, they are managed with the same safety measures as the UK’s National Health Service.

Practice Plus Group was recently named Hospital Group of the Year by healthcare intelligence firm Laing Buisson, with evidence that the Group’s patient-reported outcomes for hip and knee replacements are among the highest in the country. It has a consistent 100% ‘clean’ score for having no hospital-acquired infections and most of its hospitals scored 99% in the most recent ‘friends and family test’.

Alex Perry, CEO of Bupa UK Insurance, said: “We’re delighted to introduce our insurance customers to Practice Plus Group; they offer high-quality surgery and a great patient experience. This includes extra support for Bupa customers from a dedicated private healthcare coordinator to walk them through every step from booking a consultation to post surgery, a personal touch that our customers will really value.”

Jim Easton, Chief Executive of Practice Plus Group, added: “There’s been a significant increase in jobseekers putting private healthcare at the top of their list of employee benefits, with people wanting added reassurance that they’ll have fast access to healthcare when they need it. We are aligned with Bupa’s vision to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives, and look forward to getting their customers back to their best as soon as possible.”

Last year, Saga Health Insurance announced Bupa as a new health insurance partner.