25 March 2023
One in eight Britons have paid for private health services in the last year, amid frustration with delays in getting NHS treatment and a growing willingness to buy care using salary or savings.
New research by YouGov found that another 27% of people had considered going private, for themselves or a loved one, but decided against it, often because they couldn’t afford it.
Added to the 13% who did pay for care for themselves or someone they live with, that means that two in five people have either resorted to using medical care at private clinics and hospitals or thought about doing so.
YouGov’s survey of a representative sample of 1,164 Britons found that:
Among the 13% who had paid for private care, 29% had used disposable income but others had used a work-based private health scheme (25%), savings (24%), private medical insurance (14%) or money they had borrowed from friends of family (6%).
The body that represents private health firms said that YouGov’s findings may show that, with NHS delays so common, use of services run by such providers is becoming normalised.
“People feel the independent sector can help them, and we could be seeing the beginning of a significant behavioural shift with people feeling it’s perfectly normal and sensible to use private healthcare when they need it, in addition to, or separate from, their NHS care”, said David Hare, the chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Provider Network.
The “relatively modest” average £500 spend “demonstrates that private healthcare is an option for smaller procedures, consultations, scans or diagnostics, so it’s not just about significant surgical operations – and may be more affordable than people assume”, Hare added.
Tom Powell, YouGov’s research director, said: “Looking at the 13% who used private healthcare in the last year for either themselves or another member of their household, 33% of this group said it was the first time they used private healthcare rather than using the NHS. A further 48% said it wasn’t the first time they used private but typically they would use the NHS.
“This means that around eight in 10 of those who used private healthcare last year were people who previously would have always or typically used the NHS.”
Among those who paid, the average spend was £500. However, 23% had spent between £1,001 and £5,000 while another 4% had spent between £5,001 and £10,000.
