The people who are currently waiting to see an NHS specialist have collectively spent more than 1.8 million years waiting for that appointment, according to new research from Bowmore Financial Planning.
Waiting times to see an NHS specialist have risen sharply in recent years, partly because of staffing shortages and a backlog of referrals since Covid.
The median waiting time to see a specialist was 13.2 weeks in February 2026, up from 5.1 weeks in 2013
As NHS waiting times remain high, many larger companies have introduced private medical insurance to help employees access faster treatment. However, many small businesses have been slower to follow as they mistakenly assume the costs are too high, says Gill Millen, Managing Director and Head of Corporate Benefits at Bowmore Financial Planning.
The long waiting times mean many patients recover from illness or injury much more slowly than they would have. Slower recoveries prevent them from returning to their normal lives and, in many cases, prevent them from returning to work as quickly as they would like.
Gill Millen says: “Long waiting times can have a major impact on people’s daily lives, as they simply cannot recover as quickly as they could. This significant human cost ultimately hits businesses too.”
Small businesses are hit especially hard when workers are unable to return to work
Long waiting times hit small businesses hard, as they rely on a small workforce and even a few prolonged absences can significantly affect their operations.
Gill Millen says: “Small businesses normally rely on very few employees, so they really feel the strain when their people are left waiting too long for treatment and can’t get back to work as they normally would. In some cases, it can even affect their ability to stay in business. Small businesses can benefit greatly from private medical insurance. Not only does insurance help attract new staff, but it can also help employees avoid excessive waiting times to see a specialist. That can reduce the financial strain caused by long absences, often at a cost that is much lower than many would expect.”
Gill also says that offering private medical insurance as an employee benefit is a very efficient way to mitigate the negative impact large waiting times have on staff and businesses. It also helps to relieve the pressure on the NHS.
New data from the ONS shows that, on average, the working population spent 2.93 months waiting for hospital treatment for non-emergency conditions in the latest year of available data
“Small businesses normally rely on very few employees, so they really feel the strain when their people are left waiting too long for treatment and can’t get back to work as they normally would. In some cases, it can even affect their ability to stay in business. Small businesses can benefit greatly from private medical insurance. Not only does insurance help attract new staff, but it can also help employees avoid excessive waiting times to see a specialist. That can reduce the financial strain caused by long absences, often at a cost that is much lower than many would expect.”
Gill Millen, Managing Director and Head of Corporate Benefits at Bowmore Financial Planning
