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Growing numbers of Britons are paying for private medical treatment because of the record delays people are facing trying to access NHS care, a report has revealed.
They are using their own savings to pay for procedures that involve some of the longest waiting times in NHS hospital, such as diagnostic tests, cataract removals and joint replacements.
The increase in the willingness to self-pay is closely linked to a desire for private treatments that was increasing even before Covid struck in March 2020. But many private hospitals were unable to meet that demand for much of the pandemic because coronavirus disrupted so much normal healthcare.
Private hospital operators expect the boom in self-pay to continue for at least the next three to five years, with half of industry leaders expecting the market to grow by 10%-15% by 2025.
The in-depth report, written by the private health sector analysts LaingBuisson, states: “Despite Brexit and economic uncertainty, the main driver of interest and take-up of self-pay appears more directly linked to NHS waiting times than in previous years.
www.theguardian.com
Precisely what the Tories have wanted for years - starve the NHS of resources and keep it under constant pressure so that those who can (and many who probably can't) turn to private health care, so eventually you have a two-tier system and the great prize of an NHS sell-off can be achieved
It was already under massive strain before Covid, but the virus has given them a smokescreen
They are using their own savings to pay for procedures that involve some of the longest waiting times in NHS hospital, such as diagnostic tests, cataract removals and joint replacements.
The increase in the willingness to self-pay is closely linked to a desire for private treatments that was increasing even before Covid struck in March 2020. But many private hospitals were unable to meet that demand for much of the pandemic because coronavirus disrupted so much normal healthcare.
Private hospital operators expect the boom in self-pay to continue for at least the next three to five years, with half of industry leaders expecting the market to grow by 10%-15% by 2025.
The in-depth report, written by the private health sector analysts LaingBuisson, states: “Despite Brexit and economic uncertainty, the main driver of interest and take-up of self-pay appears more directly linked to NHS waiting times than in previous years.
NHS waiting lists drive more Britons to pay for medical treatment
Private hospital operators expect boom in self-pay to continue for at least next three to five years
www.theguardian.com
Precisely what the Tories have wanted for years - starve the NHS of resources and keep it under constant pressure so that those who can (and many who probably can't) turn to private health care, so eventually you have a two-tier system and the great prize of an NHS sell-off can be achieved
It was already under massive strain before Covid, but the virus has given them a smokescreen