The Office of Fair Trading has closed a competition law investigation into eight NHS Hospital Trusts over their exchange of commercially sensitive information for the prices that they charged for private patients. The Trusts, which belong to the Southern Region Private Healthcare Association, have given assurances over their future conduct, including internal training. The OFT has now written to all NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts which operate private patient units (which enable treatment of private patients within NHS hospitals) to give competition law guidance. The Trusts must not exchange commercially sensitive information or agree to carve up territories, customers or services if the object or effect would be a distortion of competition.