Home Health Record numbers of patients are opting for private cancer and heart care to avoid long NHS waiting lists, figures reveal

Record numbers of patients are opting for private cancer and heart care to avoid long NHS waiting lists, figures reveal

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A doctor operating on a patient (file image). Appointments made by the private sector are expected to increase by at least a fifth, to more than 6 million each year.

Record numbers of patients are paying for private cancer treatments and heart surgery rather than risk waiting for NHS care.

Chemotherapy in private hospitals rose by almost a fifth in 12 months, the biggest increase for any procedure.

MRI scans, used to diagnose serious illnesses, increased by almost a third, while blood tests increased by 41 percent, according to the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN).

Vital heart treatments, such as valve repair and replacement, are also increasing, with doctors warning patients are caught in the “worst cardiac care crisis in living memory.”

The Daily Mail can reveal that thousands of people felt they had “no choice” but to pay for care just weeks after the Prime Minister announced how the private sector will play a decisive role in reforming NHS elective care.

Appointments made by the private sector are expected to increase by at least a fifth, to more than 6 million each year.

But the expansion is expected to take years and critics question how the additional appointments will be made given the country’s shortage of healthcare workers.

Experts said that while many use private insurance to speed up treatment, others rely on savings to fund potentially life-saving care.

A doctor operating on a patient (file image). Appointments made by the private sector are expected to increase by at least a fifth, to more than 6 million each year.

A nurse working in front of a computer (file image). Record numbers of patients are paying for private cancer treatments and heart surgery rather than risk waiting for NHS care.

A nurse working in front of a computer (file image). Record numbers of patients are paying for private cancer treatments and heart surgery rather than risk waiting for NHS care.

Leading oncologist and chairman of Radiology UK, Professor Pat Price, said patients were being forced to go private out of “desperation”.

The chairman of Radiology UK said: “Dangerous delays in cancer care have become the norm, so cancer patients are doing everything they can to receive treatment on time.”

She said: ‘While the government tells us they plan to fix the NHS, we desperately need to take action because cancer patients are being left out.

“We simply cannot accept a two-tier system where if you can’t pay you face delays.”

Hospitals are supposed to treat 85 percent of patients within 62 days of receiving an urgent referral.

But figures from NHS England show more than four in five did not meet the threshold and several thousand waited too long to start treatment each month after a referral.

A recent survey found that two in three patients undergoing cancer treatment (66 per cent) admitted they were worried that NHS pressures would affect their chances of survival.

These fears have caused privately financed chemotherapy to increase from 15,030 to 17,630 sessions in the second quarter of 2023 and 2024 respectively, according to the latest available data.

A private hospital room (file image). The Daily Mail can reveal that thousands of people felt that

A private hospital room (file image). The Daily Mail can reveal that thousands of people felt they had “no choice” but to pay for care just weeks after the Prime Minister announced how the private sector will play a decisive role in reforming NHS elective care.

Private hospitals reported 232,000 admissions in the three months to July, the highest figure ever recorded for that period, and numbers are expected to rise further in winter.

Private hospitals reported 232,000 admissions in the three months to July, the highest figure ever recorded for that period, and numbers are expected to rise further in winter.

Kate Seymour, of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We know that some people will feel they have no choice but to go deprived.

“This is a reminder of the sad reality that cancer care is not fair across the UK, and many people are more affected by a cancer diagnosis because of who they are and where they live.”

He added: ‘The Prime Minister has committed to meeting the NHS waiting list target for operations and routine appointments in England and it is vital that we see the same commitment and focus on cancer waiting lists.

“People living with cancer deserve better.”

A record number of heart patients have also opted for private care rather than risk waiting more than a year for some treatments.

Thousands of people have undergone procedures including valve repair, cardiac ablation and been fitted with pacemakers privately, often costing between £10 and £20,000.

The British Heart Foundation said NHS delays were increasing the risk of patients becoming disabled by heart failure or dying prematurely, with more than 420,000 waiting too long for time-critical treatment.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at BHF, said: “Cardiac patients and their families know this, which is why the constant uncertainty and serious delays in their life-saving care are so difficult to bear.”

Richard Wells (pictured), director of PHIN, said overall admissions to private healthcare were 21 per cent higher than the same period in 2021.

Richard Wells (pictured), director of PHIN, said overall admissions to private healthcare were 21 per cent higher than the same period in 2021.

My heart surgery was canceled FIVE times

As a self-employed plumbing and heating engineer, James Wilkinson depended on staying healthy to work.

But in 2019, he was diagnosed with a heart infection, endocarditis, which damaged his heart, leaving him in urgent need of heart valve repair.

After five NHS cancellations, Wilkinson decided to do the operation privately.

He said: ‘I’m a fit, active person and I run a lot, but I found myself struggling to get up the stairs.

‘Emotionally, I was devastated after it was canceled the first time. After they canceled it for the fifth time, I asked the surgeon how long it would take if I went private. They registered me ten days later.

Wilkinson, 50, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, said he was lucky to have private health insurance thanks to his wife’s job.

He said he understood the enormous pressure the NHS was under during the pandemic, but added: “It is absolutely shocking that it is still happening four years on.”

‘Understandably, some people decide they have no choice but to turn to private healthcare. But for many patients with heart disease, this is not an option, even though they may be as much or more in need of timely cardiac treatment to save or improve their life.’

He added: “We risk creating a two-tier health system and exacerbating health inequalities driven by cardiovascular disease unless we see a Heart Disease Action Plan that makes cardiac care fair, resilient and suitable for the future.

The public health crisis has led companies to increasingly offer health insurance as a “perk” of employment.

Private hospitals reported 232,000 admissions in the three months to July, the highest number ever recorded for that period, and numbers are expected to rise further in winter.

The numbers increased in all age groups, up to and including the 60 to 69 age group, although the largest increase occurred among those aged 10 to 19, at 16 percent.

Around seven in ten were paid for by private health insurance, but the number of ‘self-payers’ (where people fund treatment themselves) remains above pre-Covid levels.

Self-funded cases, in which patients pay for expensive treatments themselves, rose 16 percent, while those funded through insurance rose 13 percent.

Richard Wells, director of PHIN, said overall admissions were 21 percent higher than the same period in 2021.

He said: ‘The long NHS waiting lists, and especially the backlog that built up during the pandemic period, have certainly had an impact on the number of people choosing to receive treatment in the private sector.

An NHS hospital in Warrington. Record numbers of patients are paying for private cancer treatments and heart surgery rather than risk waiting for NHS care.

An NHS hospital in Warrington. Record numbers of patients are paying for private cancer treatments and heart surgery rather than risk waiting for NHS care.

“Since the end of 2024, admissions to private hospitals have remained higher than before the pandemic and our data has repeatedly shown record admission numbers.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘The NHS is broken, forcing many patients to turn to the private sector for faster healthcare, putting a two-tier system at risk.

‘As part of the government’s Change Plan, we have set an ambitious target to reduce waiting times from the current 18 months to a maximum of 18 weeks.

‘We are also shifting the focus of healthcare from disease to prevention through our Ten Year Health Plan, which will build an NHS fit for the future.

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