Private medical insurance (PMI) funded hospital admissions returned to record levels in the first quarter of 2025 – with 730 more admissions than the same period in 2024.
However, overall private hospital admissions dropped by 1% as self-pay activity slipped with the proportion of admissions paid for by self-payers at its lowest for Q1 over the past five years.
Latest data from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) showed there were 171,000 hospital admissions coming through PMI in January to March 2025.
This was barely up from the corresponding quarter of 2024, but following the typical annual cycle of hospital activity was up from 167,000 in the final quarter of the year.
It reflects figures from Healthcode released last month which also suggested a slight steadying in activity during the spring.
Reported admissions paid for with PMI in Q1 2025 rose less than half a percentage point compared to the same period in 2024. There were 730 more insured admissions than in Q1 2024 across the UK.
Compared to the first quarter of last year, the number of admissions using private medical insurance rose in Scotland (10%), Wales (1.4%) and Northern Ireland (5.2%), but declined in England (-0.2%).
Insured admissions rose in all but three English regions – led by the West Midlands (5.2%) and East Midlands (4.3%) – but this growth was offset by the fall in admissions in the South East in particular (down 4.5%).
The other two regions with fewer insured admissions were the East of England and North East.
PHIN noted that as the South East had the second highest number of admissions after London a seemingly small percentage fall had a higher impact on the total than would be the case for other regions.
Private healthcare admissions down
Overall, the total number of admissions in Q1 2025 was 240,730.
This was 1% down on Q1 2024, marking the first decline in reported admissions for the first three months of a year since Q1 2021.
Despite the decline, Q1 2025 posted the second highest level of reported admissions for any quarter that PHIN has data for, with Q1 2024 the highest.
While levels of private insurance admissions remained constant in Q1 2025, there was a 4% fall in self-pay admissions from Q1 2024, which affected the overall total.
In Q1 2025, the number of admissions in Scotland (5%) and in Northern Ireland (1.6%) rose. There were declines in admissions in England (1.3%) and Wales (0.5%).
During the period NHS England admissions were at their highest levels (1,858,185) since Q3 2019, and at a similar level to Q1 2019 (1,859,075).
PHIN noted this increase in NHS admissions could have affected the number of patients opting to use the private sector.
Self-pay admissions
Self-pay admissions in Q1 2025 fell 2,750 (-4%) compared to Q1 2024, which had the highest ever number of self-pay admissions (72,440).
Admissions financed by self-pay fell in each of the devolved nations and every English region, bar the West Midlands which increased by 6% compared to Q1 2024.
London and Yorkshire and the Humber witnessed the biggest volume falls in England, with Yorkshire and the Humber also seeing the largest percentage fall of 14.7%.
This all means that
Top 10 procedures
There was also a fall in admissions for all but one of the top 10 by volume when comparing Q1 2025 to Q1 2024.
Cataract surgery dropped by 705 admissions (3.4%).
PHIN now reports on the traditional form of Hip replacement (primary) and knee replacement (primary) and the robot-assisted version separately.
Hip replacement (primary) – robotic assisted, increased by 5.3% and knee replacement (primary) – robotic assisted rose by 2.1%.
However, the number of robotic-assisted procedures is lower than the reduction in the traditional methods, so cannot be blamed for the decline.
Therapeutics – chemotherapy was the only procedure in the top 10 which had increased admissions, these were up by 1,040 or 5.9%.
PHIN noted patients usually require multiple admissions for chemotherapy treatment and the number of admissions they have varies depending on their health.
While the number of consultants active in private healthcare regularly fluctuates as new consultants start working in the private sector, and existing ones go on sabbatical, stop working privately, or retire, in Q1 2025 there were more active consultants than in any other quarter over the past five years.
