People turn to private health care to beat NHS waits, says watchdog

A two-tier health system is emerging with people increasingly paying for tests and treatments on the private sector to beat NHS waits, a patient watchdog is warning.

Healthwatch England said feedback from patients combined with polling suggested use of the private sector is on the rise, with long NHS waits said to be a key factor.

Private sector providers said alongside rises in people paying for treatment, some were also using the private sector to get scans and tests done before returning to the NHS, with their results, in a bid to get seen quicker.

The government said it is making improvements, adding it is determined to reduce the delays that meant some felt the need to pay fore care.

The survey of nearly 2,600 people in England found 16% of people had used the private sector in the past year, up from 9% two years previously. Four in 10 of those that had paid for care cited long NHS waits.

The wealthier people are the more likely they are to use private healthcare, the poll suggested. It found 35% of those with incomes over £80,000 had gone private in the past year, compared to 10% of those on under £20,000.

'I was in tremendous pain but the NHS couldn't help'

Chloe Leckie, from Buckinghamshire, is one of many who turned to the private sector after struggling with endometriosis for a number of years.

She wanted a hysterectomy but after a number of appointments and delays in the NHS, she was only offered physiotherapy and drug treatment.

The 51-year-old eventually opted for the private sector when changes in her husband's work health insurance policy meant she was covered and could afford the £20,000 treatment.

She had a hysterectomy last year to remove her womb alongside her appendix and is now paying privately for physiotherapy.

"I was in tremendous pain, but just could not get the help I needed from the NHS," said Leckie.

"I was lucky really that the policy change meant I could go private – I know not everybody has that opportunity."

Four in 10 wait longer than the NHS target time for treatment

Healthwatch England, which also analysed 390,000 pieces of feedback from the public over the past three years to draw up its conclusions, said the government had to do more to improve waiting times.

It said the NHS should also provide more information to patients while they wait, to reassure them about when they might be seen, as well as helping them manage any symptoms.

Currently nearly four in 10 people wait longer than the target time of 18 weeks for hospital treatment.

Figures from the Private Healthcare Information Network show nearly 950,000 operations and treatments were carried out in the private sector last year in the UK.

On top of this people are paying privately for scans and tests and then returning to the NHS for treatment.

While the NHS works towards a six-week target for tests and scans, in the private sector they can be arranged in as little as 48 hours.

There are thought to be more than one million of those being done each year as some patients try to speed up their NHS waits.

People are also seeking help for mental health care privately, the watchdog said, and some paying for weight-loss drugs.

And David Hare, chief executive officer of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, said private GP appointments were also on the rise.

He said use of private healthcare, often alongside NHS care, was becoming the "new normal".

"People's health and the health of their family is their number one priority and so it's not surprising that more people are willing to fund their own treatment."

'We know there's a long way to go'

British Medical Association GP committee chair Dr Katie Bramall said her colleagues had also noticed a sharp rise in patients using the private sector and then returning to the NHS GPs for on-going care.

She said that was adding to GPs' workload, as they must then assess their results to see if they qualify for NHS care, and contributing to a two-tier service.

"We believe urgent, nationally-funded action is needed to bring waiting lists down and to ensure all patients can access high quality care quickly, whether it's in the NHS or privately," she added.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said improvements were being made with waiting lists down to their lowest level for nearly three years and progress being made on waiting times.

"We will end the unacceptable two-tier healthcare system we inherited that leaves patients feeling they have no choice but to go private.

"Our extra investment and modernisation is beginning to turn the tide, but we know there's a long way to go," she added.