A record number of people received private medical treatment in the last quarter of 2022 according to new data.
Figures from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) show there were 207,000 admissions. This was driven by growth in insured treatment, with around 140,000 of these cases covered by a corporate or individual policy.
The figures show the total number of private healthcare admission in 2022 was the highest since records began at 820,000, up 5 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. Within these figures 272,000 people used their own money to pay for treatments. This number is up by a third since 2019, prior to the pandemic.
However these annual figures show that the number people treated via insurance is down slightly on pre-pandemic levels.
There are currently 7.3m people waiting for NHS treatment in England, up by nearly 3m since the start of the pandemic. Figures indicate more than one in 20 have been waiting more than a year for treatment.
Broadstone, head of health & protection Brett Hill says: “The incredible pressures on the NHS including record waiting lists, deteriorating public health and pay disputes are undoubtedly driving greater demand within the private healthcare sector.
“Employers are increasingly recognising that they need to invest in private healthcare options to protecting the health and wealth of their employees and this is now a mission-critical business investment.
“In the short- to medium-term, there appears little prospect of the strains on the public health system easing and we are likely to see continued strong demand for private healthcare in what could become a ‘new normal’ for this country.”
