Almost half of those of using private healthcare say that not being able to secure an NHS appointment quickly enough factored into their decision to go private.
This is according to Going Private, a report published today by the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), which showed 46.3% had gone private because they could not get an NHS appointment quickly enough.
Generational shift
But the report also indicated a generational shift in attitudes towards private healthcare.
The report showed younger people (aged between 18 and 24) were the most likely to have actually used the private sector – four in 10 have already done so. This compared to just 25.6% of 45-54 year olds.
Nearly three quarters of people under 34 said they would consider using private healthcare if they needed it. They were also found to be more generally positive about it, and the most likely group to have accessed private GP services particularly.
Affordability biggest barrier
The research showed that while affordability formed the biggest barrier to people accessing the system – 62.9% said they could not afford private healthcare, there was also a lack of awareness and absence of information evident – 19.9% did not know how much a single private GP appointment tends to cost.
Self pay versus insurance
There was a fairly even split between those who had paid for their private care themselves and who had used insurance – of those who had used private healthcare 48% paid themselves (self-pay) and 49% used a private insurance plan (PMI).
Self pay was more popular as a solution with younger people, and those from lower social grades were also more likely to self-pay.
David Furness, director of policy and delivery at IHPN, said: “It will probably surprise a lot of people that the age group with the greatest number of private health care users is 18-24 year olds. Four in 10 have used private healthcare – largely we believe for GP appointments, scans and diagnostics.
“It’s a very interesting finding, showing young people seem to have a very pragmatic view when it comes to accessing the healthcare they need, and there is evidence of clear generational shifts in attitudes and behaviours
“Younger people are seemingly more prepared to take immediate steps. Nearly three quarters of people under 34 say they’d consider using private healthcare – that’s a big group.”
Furness added that the overall positivity towards the sector was encouraging to see. “I think sometimes there has been a perception that people ‘don’t like’ private healthcare.
“In fact the majority of people are positive about it, especially those who’ve actually used it, and it’s only a minority (11%) who have negative views.”
Furness continued: “We recognise that not everyone will be able to afford private healthcare but we also found that people don’t always have a good idea about what it costs.
“However, it is positive to see that over 8 in 10 people (82%) who have paid themselves say they thought it was definitely, or probably worth the money.
“That’s a reflection of the excellent quality of service and quality of care which the private sector provides, but also of the fact that people place huge value on their health and wellbeing, and ultimately, it’s a priority over other things.
“I think this is further evidence that employers should be thinking very closely about how they support their workers. We know that economic inactivity levels due to sickness are very high, and at the same time, research shows just how valuable employees think private insurance is.
“There is a clear role that employers could play here in making it easier for people to access the healthcare they need.”