Analysis reveals ‘sharp shift’ towards people paying for private healthcare

THERE has been a “sharp increase” in people forking out for private health care, according to new analysis.

The Nuffield Trust said across the UK, there has been a rise in the number of people paying out of their own pocket for hospital care since the pandemic.

The think tank suggested that people needing treatment could be turning to private care “out of desperation as NHS provision flatlines”.

Nuffield Trust analysis suggests the biggest rises in people turning to private healthcare have occurred in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

According to the analysis between September 2019 and September 2023, hospital admissions paid for out of pocket were up 80% in Scotland, 218% in Northern Ireland, 124% in Wales, and 20% in England.

Across the whole of the UK, this means a 32% increase in out-ofpocket admission and day cases between September 2019 to September 2023.

There has also been a rise in people using private health insurance to get private healthcare – across the UK as a whole, hospital admissions through private health insurance are up 5%, with the Nuffield Trust saying the rise could be because people and employers “expect difficulty in accessing care to continue”.

The authors said the trends “may be being forced on the UK by a lack of NHS provision, and pressure from emergency demand, and serving as an alternative to the NHS being able to do more, rather than simply reflecting additional or better treatment being made available”.

Mark Dayan, one of the authors of the data briefing, said: “While the vast majority of care remains Nhs-funded and delivered, there has been a definitive shift in all four UK countries towards private healthcare, either funded out of pocket or through private healthcare plans.

“Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have seen the starkest rises.”