Admission for private healthcare treatments continued to rise rapidly through 2023, with the latest PHIN data suggesting this will be the busier year on record.
A total of 215,000 private health admissions were recorded in quarter three of 2023 – an 4 per cent uptick on the same quarter of the previous year.
Through Q1 to Q3 2023, a total of 664,000 private health admissions were registered, marking a 7 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2022.
Admissions paid for with private medical insurance (predominantly employer-funded PMI schemes) have been a major driver of the growth in private treatments, making up over two-thirds (69 per cent) of total admissions in period Q1-Q3 2023 — and rising 11 per cent year-on-year compared to 2022. In contrast there were a small decline in self-pay treatments.
Broadstone’s head of health and protection Brett Hill said the figures reflect the deteriorating state of the NHS and the growing demand from employers to ensure they are protecting the health and wellbeing of their workforce.
“Since the pandemic, it has become increasingly difficult for people to access timely NHS healthcare that can treat debilitating issues and diagnose conditions at an early stage in order to avoid more complex conditions and treatment further down the line.
“We are now seeing the impact of this materialise in the private healthcare market with private admission levels reaching record highs as people increasingly opt to go private rather than face the day-to-day pain of a persistent condition or the risk of more serious illnesses going untreated.”
He adds: “The acceleration in private healthcare is largely being driven by a recognition from employers that they need to cover the NHS’ shortcomings urgently and put in place health services to help their staff get access to the care they need, when they need it.
“Unless employers can get to grips with the conditions that are driving record-high economic inactivity because of long-term ill-health, they risk seeing their productivity and retention levels suffer significantly.
“Meanwhile self-pay appears to have plateaued – albeit at higher than pre-pandemic levels – given the constraints around the number of people who can afford to fund their own treatment.
“Until the NHS can get on top of its vast waiting list, we expect to see these trends continue (or even accelerate further) and potentially drive a permanent change around how UK workers access the healthcare system moving forward.”