Expert view: Deciding whether to go private or NHS isn’t as simple as it sounds
When Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer were asked in their pre-election TV debate: “Would you use private healthcare if a family member faced a long wait for NHS care?” Sunak said “Yes” and Starmer said “No”.
Private healthcare is a sensitive issue; sometimes seen as queue jumping and not without a degree of stigma attached.
Conversely though, it’s a choice, just as anything else with a free at the point of need alternative – like private schooling or gym membership (you can walk, run or cycle in the great outdoors after all).
And you can argue that those going private are relieving the pressure on all-time-high NHS waiting lists.
The truth is, we’re facing into a future where it’s not either the NHS or private, but one where most of us will use both.
In fact, we’re already there - most people pay for eye care and many now struggle to find an NHS dentist (and most NHS dentistry is only subsidised, not free).
Finding the right pathway
We tend to think about healthcare being treatment, but it’s the whole pathway from improving health, spotting symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and recovery afterwards.
People are increasingly spending on digital, app-based health plans such as weight management, exercise programmes, stopping smoking and mindfulness.
They also purchase health monitoring devices like smart watches, step counters, blood pressure monitors and home screening kits.
So it’s a relatively small step for more of us to start spending on private GPs, scans, diagnostic tests and treatment.
Yet this creates challenges. How do I know what good looks like, clinically and financially, when selecting a consultant, hospital or clinic? Can I just buy a scan or do I need a GP referral?
If my chosen consultant works in a different NHS hospital than my local one, can I go there?
What happens if I’ve had a private diagnosis, but can’t afford the treatment? In short - how do I navigate the complexities of moving between NHS and private systems?
With the current pressures set to continue, it’s highly unlikely your GP has time to answer these questions.
Understanding healthcare complexities
The good news is a lot of relevant information already exists: the Care Quality Commission is an independent body; rating GPs, hospitals and clinics, both NHS and private, in England.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales are the equivalent bodies and all UK reviews are in the public domain.
The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) is an independent government mandated organisation publishing performance and fees information about private consultants and hospitals. iWantGreatCare provides millions of patient reviews. Medical insurers and hospitals hold a huge amount of relevant data too, and could play a wider role in future.
Navigation help is emerging: Reframe Cancer help cancer patients throughout their entire journey, and Healix Nurse Led Managed Care, partnered with Perci Health for cancer can help too.
The future for healthcare
The ideal future health navigator will have comparable private and public sector data in one place, and offer help for people to navigate their individual health journeys.
This needs digital technology and platforms, AI and human input to come together to deliver not only well, but at scale to meet this growing need.
