There is a wide disparity in the distance patients have to travel to access private healthcare across the UK, with patients in Northern Ireland travelling the furthest and those in London the shortest.
The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) also revealed people in deprived areas faced the longest journeys as there are fewer facilities located near them.
Meanwhile young people and those with the least severe conditions were prepared to travel the furthest to access private care.
The Distance to Diagnosis and Treatment report covers the travel distances for more than 3.5 million episodes of private healthcare in the UK between 2021 and 2024.
It revealed patients in Northern Ireland travelled the furthest, averaging 36.3 miles, while those in London had the shortest journeys at just 6.0 miles.
There were shorter travel distances across England (14.1 miles) compared to Wales (22.8 miles) and Scotland (29.4 miles).
Younger and fitter patients travel furthest
The report showed availability of private hospital sites strongly influenced travel distances, with London and the South East offering the highest number of facilities (244 between them) and therefore the shortest travel distances.
Patient characteristics also affected travel, with younger adults (20–29 years) most likely to travel longer distances, while those aged 90+ travelled the least.
Patients with multiple or severe health conditions tended to use local services, travelling shorter distances.
However, people living in more deprived areas faced longer journeys, as private hospitals are more commonly located in less deprived districts.
Medical specialities
When it comes to medical specialties, the average distance travelled varied widely.
For example, patients seeking plastic surgery travelled an average of 29.4 miles, more than double the distance for gastroenterology (11.6 miles).
Highly specialised services, such as paediatric neurosurgery or allergy treatment, sometimes required journeys of over 250 miles.
For more common procedures, such as cataract surgery, hip and knee replacements, and chemotherapy, the average travel distance ranged from 10.7 to 14.6 miles – below the national average.
However, on some rare occasions patients travelled more than 600 miles.
Vital evidence
Richard Wells, director of technology and insights at PHIN, said: “This report provides vital evidence on the accessibility of private healthcare across the UK.
“While most patients can access common procedures within a reasonable distance, there remain challenges for those needing specialist care.
“Our findings highlight the importance of improving the distribution of services to ensure equitable access for all and to truly allow patient choice.”
