Editorial: The NHS needs more privately run hospitals Then came half-year accounts showing losses at nearly twice forecast levels, prompting naysayers to talk darkly of the perils of "privatisation" and warn of costly catastrophe to come. Now the National Audit Office is questioning the rigour of the tender process, particularly as regards Circle's promised savings. There will, of course, be lessons to learn from Hinchingbrooke. But its implications should not be overblown. The success, or otherwise, of Circle in Cambridgeshire is not the last word on privately run NHS hospitals. It is only the first.