Record numbers of patients are paying for private cancer treatment and heart surgery rather than risking waiting for NHS care.
Chemotherapy at private hospitals jumped by almost a fifth in 12 months, the biggest surge in any procedure.
MRI scans, used to diagnose serious health conditions, leapt by nearly a third while blood tests are up 41 per cent, according to the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN).
Vital heart treatments, such as valve repairs and replacements, are also on the rise with doctors warning patients are caught up in the ‘worst heart care crisis in living memory’.
The Daily Mail can reveal thousands felt they had ‘no choice’ but to pay for care just weeks after Prime Minister announced how the private sector will be instrumental in reforming NHS elective care.
Appointments delivered 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 with critics questioning how the extra appointments will be delivered given the country’s shortage of healthcare staff.
Experts said that while many are using private insurance to expedite treatment, others are relying on savings to fund potentially lifesaving care.
A doctor operating on a patient (stock image). Appointments delivered by the private sector are expected to increase by at least a fifth to more than 6 million each year
A nurse working at a computer (stock image). Record numbers of patients are paying for private cancer treatment and heart surgery rather than risking waiting for NHS care
Leading oncologist and chair of Radiology UK, Professor Pat Price, said patients were being pushed to go private through ‘desperation’.
The chairman of Radiology UK said: ‘Dangerous delays to cancer care have become the norm, so cancer patients are doing whatever they can to get treatment on time.
She said: ‘While the government tells us they plan to fix the NHS, we desperately need to see action because cancer patients are falling through the cracks.
‘We simply cannot accept a two-tiered system where if you can’t pay you face delays.’
Hospitals are supposed to treat 85 per cent of patients within 62 days of receiving an urgent referral.
But NHS England figures show more than four out of five were failing to meet the threshold with several thousand waiting too long to start treatment each month, following a referral.
A recent poll found two in three patients undergoing cancer treatment (66 per cent) admitted they were worried NHS pressures would affect their chances of survival.
These fears have seen privately funded chemotherapy increase from 15,030 to 17,630 sessions in the second quarter of 2023 and 2024 respectively, according to the latest data available.
A luxury private hospital room (stock image). The Daily Mail can reveal thousands felt they had ‘no choice’ but to pay for care just weeks after Prime Minister announced how the private sector will be instrumental in reforming NHS elective care
Private hospitals reported 232,000 admissions in the three months to July, the highest ever for that period with numbers expected to rise further in winter
Kate Seymour, from Macmillan Cancer Support, said: ‘We know some people will be feeling as if they have no choice but to go private.
‘This is a reminder of the sad reality that cancer care isn’t fair across the UK, with many people being hit harder by their cancer diagnosis because of who they are and where they live.’
She added: ‘The Prime Minister committed to meeting the target for NHS waiting lists for routine operations and appointments in England and it’s critical we see the same commitment and approach made to cancer waiting lists.
‘People living with cancer deserve better.’
Record numbers of heart patients have also opted for private care rather than risk waiting in excess of a year for some treatments.
Thousands have undergone procedures including valve repairs, cardiac ablation and had pacemakers fitted privately, often costing upwards of £10-20,000.
The British Heart Foundation said NHS delays were increasing the risk of patients becoming disabled from heart failure or dying prematurely, with more than 420,000 waiting too long for time-critical treatment.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the BHF said: ‘Heart patients and their families know this, and that is why ongoing uncertainty and severe delays to their vital care are so hard to bear.
Richard Wells (pictured), director of PHIN, said overall admissions to private healthcare were 21 per cent above the same period in 2021
‘Understandably, some people decide they have no other choice than to use private healthcare. But for so many heart disease patients, this is not an option, even though they may have as much or more need for timely heart treatment to save or improve their life.’
She 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 to make cardiac care fair, resilient, and fit for the future.’
The crisis in public healthcare has seen businesses increasingly offering healthcare insurance as a ‘perk’ of employment.
Private hospitals reported 232,000 admissions in the three months to July, the highest ever for that period with numbers expected to rise further in winter.
Numbers increased in all age groups up to and including 60-69-year-olds, although the biggest rise was among 10-19-year-olds, at 16 per cent.
About seven in ten were paid for by private medical insurance but the number of ‘self-payers’ – where people fund treatment themselves – remains above pre-Covid levels.
Self-funded cases, where patients pay for expensive treatments themselves, increased by 16 per cent while those funded through insurance are up 13 per cent.
Richard Wells, director of PHIN, said overall admissions were 21 per cent above the same period in 2021.
He said: ‘The long NHS waiting lists, and especially the backlog that built up through the pandemic period, have certainly had an impact on the number of people opting to have their treatment in the private sector.
An NHS hospital in Warrington. Record numbers of patients are paying for private cancer treatment and heart surgery rather than risking waiting for NHS care
‘Since the end of 2024, reported private hospital admissions have remained higher than they were before the pandemic and our data has repeatedly shown record numbers of admissions.’
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: ‘The NHS is broken, forcing many patients to go private for faster healthcare, risking a two-tier system.
‘As part of the government’s Plan for Change, we have set an ambitious target to cut waiting times from 18 months today to a maximum of 18 weeks.
‘We are also shifting the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention through our 10 Year Health Plan, which will build an NHS fit for the future.
