The great rush to go private! Number of Brits paying for hospital treatment hits record 900,000 It marks a seven per cent jump on the previous record of 836,000 set in 2022 READ MORE: Britons are forking out on private healthcare 'out of desperation' By Emily Stearn, Health Reporter For Mailonline Published: 00:01 BST, 4 June 2024 | Updated: 00:01 BST, 4 June 2024 e-mail View comments A record number of Brits ditched the NHS last year to go private amid lengthy delays. Around 898,000 people in the UK sought private hospital treatment in 2023, figures revealed today. It marks a seven per cent jump on the previous record of 836,000 set in 2022 and 15 per cent rise on admissions pre-pandemic.
Lengthy waits for routine NHS procedures have been blamed for the spiralling trend, with 7.54million treatments now in the queue. The £150billion-a-year service is creaking at the seams, with it battered by a staffing exodus, Covid-induced backlogs and a series of strikes.
Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Data on the number of Brits deserting the NHS was published by the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), which shares information about performance and fees of private consultants and hospitals.
Northern Ireland saw the highest spike in private hospital admissions, up 56 per cent on 2022. This was followed by Scotland, up 11 per cent. Admissions across Wales and England grew at a similar level, with seven and six per cent respectively.
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