Newport-based St Joseph’s Hospital is celebrating 109,564 appointments since the hospital re-launched in October 2015.

The figure is a 52 per cent increase on the previous two years, which saw just under 72,000 patients make appointments at the leading private facility.

After coming under new ownership in 2014, St Joseph’s Hospital underwent an extensive multi-million-pound refurbishment, which took nearly two years to complete and saw the creation of 13 centres of excellence and the introduction of new state-of-the-art equipment.

Since re-launching, 7,097 operations have been performed at the hospital, adding up to a total of 2,369 hours in surgery.

The most common procedures performed were colonoscopy, cataract removal and gastroscopy. In the Cosmetic Surgery Centre for Excellence, the most popular procedures were abdominoplasty, breast augmentation, breast uplift and breast reduction.

The hospital’s state-of-the-art Centre for Advanced Diagnostics has performed 7,296 X-rays, 5,222 MRI scans, 3,007 ultrasounds and 422 baby scans since October 2015.

The BreastCare Centre of Excellence has performed 2,129 free BreastChecks, the Private GP service has vaccinated 212 children and a total of 79 Elite Health Assessments have been performed.

Since the new ownership, 47 new posts have been created across the hospital including five apprenticeship positions. St Joseph’s has also welcomed new, leading consultants to its 162-strong team including BreastCare specialist Mr Charlie Chan, Urologist Professor Raj Persad, Consultant Plastic Surgeon Mr Anthony Macquillan and Dr Geoff Davies – Consultant Sports Physician and WRU team doctor.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show a year-on-year increase in ‘out-of-pocket’ patient expenditure on healthcare in UK hospitals – just over 10 per cent from 2013-2015.

It also shows an increase in the amount spent on private health insurance in UK hospitals of just over four per cent from 2013-2015.

Both indicate an increase in the numbers of people choosing to use private healthcare. This increase has been magnified at St Joseph’s Hospital, where income has trebled over the past three years.

Co-owner of St Joseph’s Hospital and executive chairman Brian Staples said: “100,000 patients through our doors is an important milestone, and the increase in the number of patients we’ve seen illustrates how far the hospital has come in the last two years. The combination of new, world-leading technology and our highly talented and respected team has succeeded in establishing St Joseph’s as one of the UK’s leading hospitals offering excellent clinical care.

“Now more than ever, private healthcare has an increasingly important role to play in supporting NHS services and offering patients an alternative solution for treatment of treatment and St Joseph’s is well positioned to offer that support.

"The next three years will see us continue to bring in new specialists and expand on the services we offer, both of which are key to our ongoing commitment to deliver a five-star patient service without delay.”

St Joseph’s Hospital now offers 36 specialties including breast care, cosmetic surgery, ophthalmology, private GP and orthopaedic surgery. Consultants at St Joseph’s have access to technology and equipment offering the most advanced diagnostic capabilities outside of London.