People paying privately for operations rises by third since Covid pandemic

Latest figures show the number of people paying privately for treatments and operations in the UK has risen by over a third since the start of the pandemic.

Last year, 272,000 paid for treatments such as eye or knee surgery, up from 199,000 in 2019.

Health providers are reporting patients desperate for treatment are increasingly turning to the private market due to NHS waits.

There are currently 7.3m people waiting for NHS treatment in England, up by nearly 3m since the beginning of the pandemic, and one in 20 have been waiting for longer than a year.

Dr Ian Gargan, chief executive of Private Healthcare Information Network, said “There is a whole combination of factors influencing this growth, with the long NHS waiting lists, and uncertainty around how long you’ll be waiting certainly key among them.

“We know that everyone loves and respects the NHS and its hard-working staff, but people are increasingly investigating healthcare alternatives.”

Patient watchdog Healthwatch England has said the trend towards people paying privately for treatment risks creating a “two-tier” system.

The Department of Health and Social Care in England said tackling the backlog remains one of its key priorities – a spokesperson said good progress was being made, with long waits of more than 18 months close to being eliminated.

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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