When radio presenter Iain Dale was rushed to the emergency department at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in July, he was told he would need to undergo invasive surgery as soon as possible.
The 62-year-old, who hosts LBC Radio’s evening show, had been suffering from severe pain on the right side of his abdomen for several days and had been repeatedly taken ill.
Within minutes of being seen, a doctor diagnosed him with a perforated gallbladder and told him the pear-shaped organ would have to be removed the moment an operating room became available.
The condition usually occurs when the opening of the gallbladder becomes blocked, causing inflammation and swelling. If left untreated, it can lead to life-threatening infections.
Within minutes of being seen, a doctor diagnosed Iain Dale with a perforated gallbladder and told him the pear-shaped organ would have to be removed.
For this reason, more than 60,000 NHS patients have their gallbladders removed every year.
“I spent the night at home,” says Iain, who earlier this year briefly left his role at LBC to run for Parliament, only to abandon his campaign three days later.
‘There was no bed available, so I had to lie in a recliner the whole time.’
The next morning Iain was taken to intensive care. From there he assumed he would be taken into theatre to have his gallbladder removed.
So she was shocked when, a few hours later, a doctor told her the procedure was not going to happen after all.
“He explained that scans had shown my gallbladder was very inflamed, which meant it was too dangerous to operate on,” says Iain. “I would have to take antibiotics for six weeks before I could have the operation.”
The surprises didn’t end there, however. She was told that due to the record length of the NHS waiting list for surgical procedures, she would not be able to have her gallbladder removed once the necessary six weeks had passed.
Instead, Iain would have to wait 18 weeks before his severely damaged gallbladder could be removed, meaning the procedure would not take place until December.
Iain says it was more than he could bear. “When I came out of the hospital, I felt like my brain and body were functioning at 60 per cent capacity,” says Iain. “I was constantly searching for words and felt sluggish. I couldn’t do my radio show and had to miss a performance I was doing at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
“The doctors said this disability was likely to continue until I had surgery, and I knew I couldn’t wait that long. When you work in radio, you can’t afford to take 18 weeks off work. Your listeners would just go somewhere else. So I knew I had to do something.”
So, like an increasing number of people, Iain decided to turn to private healthcare to escape the ever-increasing waiting times on the NHS.
According to official figures, there are currently more than 6 million people waiting for NHS treatment. More than 300,000 have been waiting for more than a year.
The numbers have risen dramatically since the Covid pandemic hit in 2020 and, despite the Government’s best efforts, have only worsened over the past four years.
As a result, the number of people choosing to pay for treatment has increased by almost 40 percent since 2021, according to the Private Healthcare Information Network.
This means that last year, almost 900,000 people turned to private care and a record 73,000 chose to pay for their treatment rather than use health insurance.
Some experts have warned that paying for treatment could put lives at risk, as research shows many private hospitals do not have the facilities to provide emergency treatment.
Iain Dale, 62, hosts LBC Radio’s evening show
However, for patients like Iain, it increasingly seems like it is the only option other than living with pain or debilitating symptoms.
Since 2020, the Conservative government has trialled a series of schemes to reduce waiting lists, including temporary “surgical centres”, announced in 2022 by then-Health Secretary Sajid Javid, where patients could undergo routine procedures such as cataracts and hip replacements on the high street or in a car park.
In November 2023, the Conservative Government also announced an additional £800 million to tackle the crisis.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to reduce waiting lists by 2024, but earlier this year admitted he had failed to do so. New Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also promised to tackle the problem. Controversially, Streeting said he will pay private clinics to take NHS patients as they have “spare capacity”.
Julie Thallon, chair of the Patients’ Association charity, said she welcomed Labour’s commitment to tackling waiting lists but said the number of people turning to private services was a serious concern.
“Many people do not have the resources to pay for private treatment,” he says. “We are concerned that long waits could cause patients’ health to deteriorate to the point that the treatment may be ineffective when they finally receive it.”
Iain Dale, who is due to undergo gallbladder surgery in the coming weeks, says he believes more patients should go to private centres as this would free up NHS resources.
While gallbladder removal costs around £5,000, private health insurance for a 60-year-old patient with no underlying health problems costs around £120 a month, according to insurance broker MediCompare.
“By having the surgery done privately, I’m freeing up space for someone who can’t afford it and I’m saving the NHS money,” says Iain.
‘There is a stigma about the private sector in this country, but it seems increasingly logical to do so.’