NHS waiting list at 7.71 million with 1 million set to ‘go private’ by 2025

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Today’s NHS England data on waiting lists shows that the backlog fell slightly by roughly 60,000 through October with the total queue for treatment still standing at a sky-high 7.71 million.  

It compares to a total of 7.21 million one year ago and 4.60 million in October 2019 before the pandemic exacerbated the pressures on the public health service.

The struggle to receive NHS care has already fed through to record private health admissions while Broadstone analysis of the latest PHIN data found that the current trajectory of growth within the private healthcare market could drive over one million people to go private for the first time in 2025.

Brett Hill, Head of Health and Protection at leading independent consultancy Broadstone, commented: “As we enter the festive period, today’s NHS waiting lists will cast a shadow over those already struggling with ill-health and injury or worried about the impacts of colder weather through the winter.

“With more industrial action planned in the coming weeks we are only likely to see further added pressures on NHS services through this period, perpetuating the difficulties many are facing in accessing NHS care they need to treat or diagnose health issues. It is little surprise therefore that we are seeing record private health admissions as people either fund their own care or access the private sector through insurance products like private medical insurance.

“At the current rate of growth we could see over a million going private in 2025 which marks a huge expansion of this market compared to before the pandemic. This is being driven by a growing recognition among businesses that they need to step up and support the health of their employees given the travails of the NHS.

“Services like digital GPs and screening programmes are increasingly prevalent as employers look to catch issues early to avoid long absences and we expect coverage of insurance products to continue rising as healthcare remains a key boardroom issue moving into 2024 and beyond.”

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