One in 10 (10%) UK adults have turned to private sector or independent healthcare in the last 12 months alone, according to research commissioned by the charity Engage Britain. Of these, nearly two-thirds (63%) did so because they faced long delays or were unable to access treatment on the NHS. The latest figures from NHS England show that the number of people in England waiting for routine hospital treatments has risen to 6.8 million. Of those who have privatized, nearly half (46%) have been forced to cut spending in other areas, raid savings they had earmarked for another purpose, or take on financial debt to pay for it. Miriam Levin, health and care program director at Engage Britain, said: “While the NHS still unites many of us with a sense of pride, it is clear that more and more people are feeling forced to turn to private treatment. “As people suffer months of pain and discomfort after postponed appointments or waste time and energy chasing referrals, millions feel desperate enough to use savings or go into debt to help us get well again.” Faced with the prospect of waiting months on the NHS, Leanne Langford, 59, who damaged her knee while learning to dance, sold her motorbike and took out a loan to pay for a private knee replacement. “I know what the NHS is going through,” he said. “An eight-week wait can become 12 weeks or more. Living alone, I had no one to help me and relying on friends just didn’t feel right.” The operation cost the mother-of-two from Kent around £9,000. “It scared me how big it was. I had no debt, I was very lucky. So I was concerned about this. “There is always the perception that if you didn’t need the NHS – more than the odd prescription – it would be there in your time of need. But of course that wasn’t the case for me then, and it certainly isn’t the case now. “The NHS is amazing and does so much more than it was set up to do. But the current crisis has shown us that some changes need to be made in its delivery and in our expectations of it.” The survey, commissioned by Engage Britain and carried out by Yonder, surveyed 2,075 UK adults. Of those who went private in the past year, 46% chose at least one of the following when asked about the financial impact: “I had to go into debt,” “I had to cut back on my spending” or “I had to use my savings for another purpose”. Louise Ansari, national director at Healthwatch England, said the research was “very worrying”. “People on the lowest incomes are more likely to wait longer for NHS treatment and will have a more negative experience of waiting,” he said. “In turn, this leads to a worse impact on their physical health, mental health and their ability to work and care for their loved ones. “Tackling NHS backlogs is a huge challenge, but decision-makers must find a way to do it without exacerbating health inequalities, the extent of which has been exposed by the pandemic.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents the entire healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said: “While health leaders are working hard to reduce patient waiting times , are well aware The challenge of clearing treatment backlogs is far from over. “The NHS is understaffed with over 130,000 vacancies at the last count and the ongoing lack of investment is compounded by decades of austerity. The fundamental principle of health is that it exists for all and does not discriminate based on whether people can pay. “The new government would do well to remember this and must do more to ensure that timely and safe care and treatment is not only available to those who can afford it.” When asked ‘which of the following best describes why you had private healthcare?’, 45% answered, ‘because of waiting times for NHS treatment’ and 18% chose ‘because the treatment you needed was not available in NHS”, with 63% choosing one of the two options. Of those who had experienced NHS healthcare in the last 12 months, more than one in four (28%) reported having an appointment canceled or postponed. Almost one in five (18%) said they had not been notified of “something important” about their treatment, while 12% said they were not kept “properly informed” while they were waiting. One in 10 (11%) said there had been a mistake in correspondence from the NHS about their treatment. An NHS England spokesman said a record number of people being treated by the NHS with waits of more than two years had “virtually been eliminated” and those waiting more than 18 months had fallen by more than 20,000 since January. “The message to patients is clear and hasn’t changed – it’s vital that people don’t put off seeking care when they need it.” A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are working to reduce pressure on the NHS by tackling the backlog of Covid and recently announced the opening of 50 surgical hubs on top of the 91 already open, which will ensure millions of people get the surgery they need.”
