What do people go private for?

When it comes to type of services, it is clear that people use private healthcare to meet their full range of healthcare needs.

Almost half of people (47%) who have gone private did so for a consultation with a doctor, with over one third of people paying for a consultation with another healthcare professional or diagnostic scan. 3 in 10 people going private accessed a GP appointment – up from 24% in 2023 – with over a quarter of people (27%) undergoing a minor operation.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are significant variations in what different age groups use private healthcare for.

Almost half (48%) of 25-34 year olds who have used private healthcare did so to access a private GP – compared with just 16% of 55-64 year olds and a mere 4% of over 65s. Conversely, almost a quarter of over 55s that have gone private did so to have a major operation, compared to just 10% of 18-24 year olds and 16% of those in the 25-34 year bracket.

Looking across all treatment types, overall, the data shows that a majority of people try to access care on the NHS before turning to private healthcare. However in their most recent time in using private healthcare, 44% of people went straight to the private sector first rather than attempting to go through the NHS first – up from 40% last year.