Private healthcare admissions rocket as search for solution to NHS backlog grows
Private health admissions through insurance have rocketed in the UK, with some experts saying it may hold the key to reducing NHS backlog.
Research by consultancy firm Broadstone has revealed that private health admissions using insurance is at 109 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
It stated that this demonstrates the surge in private health admissions funded through corporate insurance solutions could hold the key to reducing pressure in the NHS.
This comes after the latest round of data from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) showed that there were nearly 900,000 admissions to private hospitals in the UK in 2023.
A separate analysis of the data by Broadstone on its corporate clients’ healthcare claims shows how the severity of claims has also surged over the past year.
One of its examples is that the volume of mental health claims rose by 33 per cent, with the value of these claims increasing by 68 per cent. Additionally, the number of cancer claims grew by a fifth (20 per cent) while the value of claims paid surged by 131 per cent in the same period.
Brett Hill, head of health and protection at Broadstone said: “The private healthcare sector, which is driven primary by employer-funded health insurance benefits, is playing an increasingly important role in maintaining the health and productivity of the UK’s workforce as admissions rocket.”
“It is important that the private sector is able to increasingly step in to support the health of the UK workforce and the economic growth that depends upon it – without it we would have seen significantly higher economic inactivity and staff shortages,” he added.
Last week it was reported that the shadow health secretary Wes Streeting revealed that Labour will use “spare capacity in the private sector” to reduce NHS waiting lists.
This came after the MP unleashed his plans to introduce an extra 300,000 appointments, scans, and operations in London each year in a bid to slash the backlog, including deploying private healthcare.
And it’s not just hospitals. It was revealed on Monday that Fortress Investment Group is providing £750m ($954m) to Tabeo, which specialises in consumer healthcare financing for dental work.
The loans will have an average life of 18 months that will allow consumers to finance dental treatment in the UK. Lots of private dentists in the UK use this software for cosmetic treatments including for Invisalign.