Private healthcare is not a silver bullet for cutting NHS wait times, study finds

A new report from the Health Foundation has concluded that making greater use of the independent sector will only have a limited impact on easing the NHS backlog.  

The study, which was published yesterday, indicates that despite the widespread support for private healthcare service providers within Westminster, the private sector cannot solve all the issues the NHS are facing such as underfunding, staff shortages and social care.

Researchers have examined the private sector’s role in NHS-funded ophthalmic and orthopaedic care – two areas which have seen the greatest uplift in independent provider activity.

In its first instance, the report draws attention to the overall number of NHS-funded treatments has only just recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with independent sector providers (ISP) being responsible for 8.7% of the care – a 1% increase from before COVID-19.

Additionally, the study found ISPs have increased the number of inpatient ophthalmic care procedures they perform on behalf on the health service, with data indicating that almost four in 10 – which equates to 38.6% – procedures were carried out by ISPs in February 2022. This is a jump from just over two in 10 (23.3%) pre-pandemic.

Similarly, ISPs delivered almost a third of inpatient orthopaedic care for NHS in the same month of 2022; an increase from around a quarter before the pandemic.

According to experts at the Health Foundation the smaller jump is due to the increase in ophthalmic care being down to cataract procedures, which make up 60-70% of all ophthalmic care and are easily scaled up – something that is not being reflected in most other areas of ophthalmology or orthopaedic care.

The Health Foundation also drew on some of the inequalities people face when trying to access private healthcare – the organisation found the amount of treatment being delivered in the most deprived areas is still 1% lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Conversely, treatment volumes in the most affluent areas were 5% higher – the Health Foundation put this down to the increased likelihood of ISPs being located in richer areas.

The Health Foundation’s Director of Data Analytics, Charles Tallack, said: ‘Patients are facing unacceptable waits, and the NHS has a huge challenge to increase activity to the levels needed to bring down waiting lists.

‘Our study shows that, while it has an important role to play, the independent sector is not a panacea for bringing down waiting lists, despite it being at the heart of the elective recovery plan.

‘To truly increase activity and bring down waiting lists, the government must address the major problems facing the NHS – from the lack of an adequate workforce plan to historic under-investment, as well as pressures in social care.’

Image: Annie Spratt