Why More People Are Considering Private Healthcare

For generations, the NHS has been at the heart of healthcare in the UK. It continues to provide essential care to millions of people every day. However, longer waiting lists, restricted access to some treatments and growing demand are changing how people think about their healthcare options.

An Ipsos report, The Private Health Shift, suggests that the UK is experiencing a measurable, although uneven, move towards private healthcare. More people are using private medical insurance or paying directly for selected services, particularly when speed, convenience and access to treatment matter most.

For consumers, this shift is not necessarily about choosing between the NHS and private healthcare. Increasingly, it is about having more than one route to care.

Why are more people looking at private healthcare?

One of the main reasons is speed.

When someone is worried about a symptom or living with a condition that affects their daily life, waiting for an appointment, diagnosis or treatment can be difficult. Private healthcare may offer faster access to consultations, diagnostic tests and eligible treatments, depending on the provider and the terms of an insurance policy.

Ipsos cites research from the Nuffield Trust showing that the number of people paying for hospital care themselves increased by 30% across the UK between 2019 and 2024. The report also notes that the UK has experienced particularly rapid growth in private insurance expenditure and out-of-pocket healthcare costs compared with other G7 countries.

This does not mean everyone is moving away from NHS care. Ipsos found that 47% of the UK public remained unlikely to use private healthcare through either insurance or direct payment. Nevertheless, a significant and growing group is exploring private options where they see a clear personal benefit.

Private healthcare is growing differently across treatments

One of the most important findings from the Ipsos report is that private healthcare is not expanding in the same way everywhere.

People are most likely to consider paying when three factors come together:

Access through the NHS is delayed or restricted

The treatment or test feels important to their quality of life

The value of receiving care more quickly is easy to understand

The report uses weight-management treatment and cancer diagnostics to demonstrate how these factors can produce very different private healthcare markets.

Weight-management treatment and private access

The arrival of GLP-1 weight-management medicines has transformed the treatment landscape for obesity. These treatments can deliver significant weight loss, but access through the NHS remains restricted by clinical eligibility requirements, local availability and spending limits.

As a result, a large private market has developed. Ipsos reports that an estimated 1.5 million people in the UK were using weight-loss injections in March 2025, with more than 90% paying privately.

This is a striking example of people seeking another route when a treatment is not readily available to them through the public system. Digital health services, remote consultations and ongoing coaching have also made private treatment more convenient and accessible.

Private medical insurance does not automatically cover weight-loss medication, and cover varies considerably between insurers. However, some providers are beginning to introduce discounts, support programmes and partnerships connected with weight management. This demonstrates how private healthcare can develop new services in response to changing consumer needs.

Faster access to diagnostic tests

Cancer care presents a different picture.

Most cancer treatment in the UK continues to take place within the NHS. However, concerns about waiting times are encouraging some people to seek private diagnostic services, such as scans and specialist tests.

Ipsos reports that more than 1.1 million private diagnostic tests and scans were carried out in the UK during 2024. Some private clinics can offer appointments within one or two days, helping patients receive answers sooner.

A person who receives a private diagnosis may still return to the NHS for treatment. This creates a combined pathway in which private care provides faster access at a particular stage, while the NHS continues to deliver longer-term or complex treatment.

For consumers, this is an important reminder that private and public healthcare do not always operate as two completely separate systems. They can work alongside one another.

What private health insurance can offer

Paying directly for an individual appointment or test may be manageable, but the cost of more extensive private treatment can be substantial. Private health insurance can help make eligible private care more affordable and predictable.

Depending on the insurer, policy and level of cover selected, potential benefits may include:

Faster access to eligible consultations and diagnostic tests

A choice of specialists or private hospitals

Cover for eligible surgery and hospital treatment

Access to services such as virtual GPs or mental health support

Greater flexibility over when and where some care takes place

Every policy is different. Exclusions, excesses, hospital lists, benefit limits and rules covering pre-existing conditions can all affect what an insurer will pay for. Certain treatments, including some long-term condition management, emergency care, maternity services and weight-loss medication, may not be covered as standard.

It is therefore important to compare the details, rather than judging a policy on price alone.

A more flexible approach to healthcare

The growth of private healthcare reflects a broader change in consumer expectations. People increasingly want timely answers, convenient services and more involvement in decisions about their care.

Private health insurance cannot guarantee that every treatment will be covered or remove every delay. What it can provide is an additional route to eligible care and greater choice when health concerns arise.

The Ipsos findings suggest that the UK is moving towards a more flexible healthcare landscape, with people using NHS services, private insurance and self-funded care in different combinations. For consumers, the most positive aspect of this change is not the growth of one system at the expense of another. It is the possibility of having more options.

If you are considering private health insurance, speaking with a specialist broker can help you understand the available policies, compare cover and find an option suited to your health priorities and budget.

Source: Ipsos, The Private Health Shift: How is the rise of private healthcare shaping the UK market?, March 2026.