NHS squeeze benefits the private sector

Independent healthcare providers are benefiting from the increasing numbers of patients choosing to pay for treatment, a new report on the private healthcare sector shows.

Out of 101 industry professionals surveyed, 34% believed that budget pressure had led to increased demand in the private sector. Patients who have been delayed or even denied treatment on the NHS can choose to pay for operations such as hip replacements instead of waiting.

With the need to cut costs dramatically within the NHS, PCTs are rationing access to care, leading to longer waiting times for patients. Independent healthcare providers are increasingly been used as an overflow facility.

David Worskett, chief executive of the NHS Partners Network, said: “We are certainly picking up that some patients are being asked to wait longer than they would have expected and are therefore deciding to pay for themselves rather than wait.”

The survey also showed that 76% agree that political uncertainty is damaging the sector and 39% disagree that “the coalition has supported the recovery of the UK independent healthcare market”.