Hospital chiefs in Leeds yesterday announced they were close to signing a deal with American firm Healthcare Technologies International (HTI) to provide private care in the £220m St James's Institute of Oncology in the city that opened in January.
Managers say the agreement will complement services, bring income to the hospital and give access to the latest technology to NHS patients once the service gets under way later this year. This includes surgery for brain disorders using equipment not currently available in the region.

Hugo Mascie-Taylor, medical director at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "This planned partnership is an opportunity to bring new technologies to the region at a faster pace than would otherwise be possible. The addition of a new independent service has always been part of our plans and will add an extra dimension to what is already an excellent facility."

Ron Gilden, president and chief executive officer of HTI, said: "We plan to fully integrate the independent sector oncology service with the trust's cancer initiatives and provide the trust expanded and early access to emerging technologies as deemed appropriate by the NHS."