The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust has announced that it has bought Circle Bath to secure capacity for NHS patients at a critical time of recovery for NHS waiting lists nationally.

The acquisition of Circle Bath – now renamed the Sulis Hospital Bath - is part of a bid to increase capacity at the facility for the benefit of all patients – both NHS and private. The trust says that patients don't need to do anything different as a result of this acquisition and can be assured that they will receive the same excellent care in a wellbeing-focussed environment in the knowledge that their care is backed by experts at the RUH.

Cara Charles-Barks, RUH chief executive, said: "We have a long-standing positive relationship with Sulis Hospital Bath, which provided significant support in caring for elective and cancer patients early in the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a really positive next step for us to take together and we're really pleased to welcome Sulis staff to our RUH family.

"With our local health partners, we are absolutely committed to minimising the amount of time our patients have to wait for planned operations. Acquiring Sulis Hospital Bath will allow us to increase the number of NHS patients we treat, whilst maintaining high quality care for both private and NHS patients. We'll be investing in the future of Sulis Hospital Bath for the benefit of our community."

The Trust is also planning to increase diagnostic capacity using the facilities at Sulis Hospital Bath, providing quicker and easier access to a range of tests on the same day and supporting earlier diagnosis.

While the acquisition means that the Trust now owns 100 per cent shares in Sulis Hospital Bath and that it is a subsidiary organisation of the RUH, the facility will continue to be directly managed by the same team.