Independent health care and the NHS

NHS finances

Discussion around the role of the independent sector in providing health care often focuses on the ‘privatisation’ of the NHS.

Private providers have always played a role in the NHS, and while there was a small increase in NHS expenditure on independent sector providers following the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, it has flatlined at a lower level since.

Although the role of the independent sector in providing NHS services has not increased substantially in recent years, according to some data sources, private spending by individuals on health care – known as ‘out-of-pocket’ spending – has. As waiting lists continue to grow and the public continues to experience difficulties accessing health services, and as the NHS workforce crisis intensifies, more people may choose to opt out of the NHS and pay for treatment privately.

In this briefing, we set out some of the trends in public and private spending on independent sector health care providers. We consider what factors may be driving these trends, look at the impact this has on household spending among different groups, and consider some of the implications for the public and the NHS.

Comments

To keep repeating the 7% figure is to be deliberately naïve.

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/nhs-spending-on-the-independe…

26-30% would be more accurate.

I think your analysis is simplistically binary.
For example Benenden Healthcare is the UK's largest mutual organisation with 950k people covered for a wide range of conditions. I don't think this is covered in your data.

nhs consultant working in the private center is removed from the nhs

All nhs consultants can work in the nhs and privately this was set up by Bevan in 1948. So if an nhs Consultant ops to work in the private sector (thus increasing his salary) the nhs has lost a consulant.