Conclusions

Building on findings of previous years’ surveys, these results have helped deepen our understanding of what people think about private healthcare.

Overall, they present a clear picture of the importance of timely care, and the willingness of the public to seek their healthcare elsewhere if they are unable to access it from the NHS.

It remains notable that for those that have used private treatment – whether having self-paid or used insurance – they are overwhelmingly positive about their experience with almost 9 in 10 saying it represented value for money.

Finally, the data also clearly shows a widening demographic of those who would consider using private healthcare. Our first survey in 2023 showed that young people were significantly more likely to consider using private healthcare than older generations. This is no longer the case – young people are still likely to have a positive view of the sector, but an increasing number in other age groups now look at private healthcare not just as an option, but as a likelihood, as demonstrated by the significant increase in the number of 35-44 year olds expecting to use private healthcare in the next twelve months.

These ongoing changes in attitude towards private healthcare are a clear indicator of the growing importance of the sector as a core part of the UK health system.