The millionaire frontrunner to become the new chairman of NHS England today revealed he uses private healthcare.
Former banker Richard Meddings — who was in charge of TSB for four years — revealed he went private last year when NHS waits hit record levels.
The 63-year-old, who is No10's favourite for the job, faced a grilling from MPs on the health select committee to assess his suitability for the role.
He revealed he initially went to his NHS GP and was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis — a type of blood clot that usually develops in the leg — late last year.
Mr Meddings was referred for scans on the health service, which can take more than three months, and decided to go private for treatment.
As NHSE's chair, he will be a key part of Sajid Javid's shake up of the organisation that is aiming to cut waiting times and clear record backlogs.
But he had to go back to his early teens when asked to provide an example of when he was treated on the NHS.
Mr Meddings claimed he still 'absolutely' trusted the health service bus has had access to private healthcare since his mid-20s as one of the perks of his jobs in the city.
The Health Secretary is said to have earmarked the former Treasury board member for the role because of the 'financial challenge' he can bring to the health service.
Mr Javid was himself a successful banker for 18 years before coming into politics in 2009, working at Deutsche bank — where Mr Meddings was non executive director from 2015 to 2019.
But his potential appointment had already been met with controversy because he has no experience within healthcare and social care.
No10's preferred candidate to become NHS England chair Richard Meddings, 63, today admitted he uses private healthcare when struck down by illness
NHS surgery waiting lists are at their highest ever level in England, breaching more than 6million for the first time since records began in November last year
As NHSE chair, Mr Meddings's main duties will be to hold the organisation to account to deliver improvements in patients’ care, value for money and broader health reforms.
He comes with nearly 40 years of experience in the financial sector, which included leading TSB when it was hit by an IT meltdown that left almost two million people locked out of their accounts for weeks — a fiasco that saw it nicknamed the Truly Shambolic Bank.
He also currently chairs Teach First, a not-for-profit scheme which coordinates teacher training and aims to improve education standards in deprived areas.
During the questioning, Mr Meddings also admitted to having no professional experience in either the health or social care sector.
He revealed he did not yet have a plan for how to reduce health inequalities across regions.
And he admitted he does not know how he would have done things differently over the last two years during the Covid pandemic.
Asked whether he has used private healthcare, Mr Meddings said: 'I
