Those comparisons have already been made, here's a piece from the King's Fund:
While we should not rely too much on international comparisons for the reasons set out above, they do emphasise one of the unique features of the NHS – that access to care does not depend on how much money you earn. The key building blocks of our health system – its public funding base and the comprehensive range of services provided (mostly) free at the point of use – have made the UK a world leader on equitable access to care. [My bolding]
The full report is
here and links out to many other studies. The Kings Fund is an independent charity that looks to drive better healthcare provision.
I believe that if a private contractor can deliver a service in the NHS at a lower cost than NHS provision and make a profit there must either be:
- Edges being trimmed that are to the detriment of patients and/or staff or
- Inefficiencies in the NHS delivery model that can be addressed.
Notwithstanding very specialist provisions that could not be brought in-house due to usage levels and patterns, or experimental treatments.