The latest PHIN data finds that in Quarter 1 (January to March) 2024 there were more private hospital admissions (238,000) than in any previous quarter on record.
An “unprecedented” number of these paid for using private medical insurance (PMI), rather than being funded directly by the patient (known as self-pay). There were 238,000 PMI-funded admissions (up 6% on Q1 2023) and nearly 100,000 more admissions paid for by private medical insurance than by those ‘self-paying’.
This is the biggest gap in the payment methods since before the Covid pandemic (Q4 2019). The biggest increases in PMI-funded admissions came in the 20-29 and 30-39 year-old age groups which were both up by 13%.
Emily Jones, Client Consulting Director at leading independent consultancy Broadstone, said:
“Following a record 2023, private health admissions continued to surge through the first three months of 2024 to further all-time highs as the NHS crisis pushes hundreds of thousands of patients private. It seems inevitable that we will soon be seeing over a million private health admissions every year.
“It is little surprise that this trend is being almost entirely driven by private medical insurance as employers recognise the threat of poor health which has manifested itself in soaring economic inactivity figures. As a consequence, our clients have elevated healthcare to a Board level priority as they look to rapidly expand coverage of PMI and put in place preventative steps like access to virtual GPs, direct access services and on-site health screenings.
“These strategies aim to help employees catch health issues earlier and then ensure the rapid treatment needed to avoid to more complex, expensive treatments. Until NHS waiting lists come down significantly, we expect to see continued corporate investment in private healthcare solutions to support the wellbeing of their staff.”
