Private medical insurance (PMI) pushed the number of private hospital admissions in the UK to a third-quarter record in 2025, according to the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN).
The number of admissions reached 230,000 between July and the end of September – 1% higher than during the same period in 2024.
A record 162,000 people used private medical insurance to fund their private treatment during the period, an increase of 2,000 in 12 months.
In contrast, self-pay continued to plateau, remaining virtually unchanged, year-on-year. At 69,000, people paying as-they-use funded almost a third of admissions.
The doctor will see you now
During the quarter, for the first time there were more admissions for chemotherapy than any other procedure at almost 20,000.
Cataract was the second highest reason for admission at around 19,000, with diagnostic tests for upper GI endoscopies (10,390) and colonoscopies (9,160) third and fourth, respectively.
Despite a rise in overall admissions, there was a decline in weight-loss surgeries. Admissions for gastric balloons and gastrostomies were down 72%, year-on-year.
Richard Wells, PHIN’s director of technology and insights, said he is seeing a greater variety in the procedures for which people go private for meaning that the traditional ‘top three’ of cataracts, hip replacements and knee replacements are no longer dominant.
“We are also seeing a decline in the popularity of weight-loss surgeries as people turn to popular jabs like Wegovy (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) instead.”
A happy workforce
For Brett Hill, head of health and protection at Broadstone, record admissions are the result of employers boosting health insurance coverage.
“As higher claim volumes have driven higher premium costs for private medical insurance, so employers are increasingly looking for ways to support workplace wellbeing with ill-health prevention strategies, recognising that a small investment to prevent ill health can reduce the risk of expensive claims that might otherwise drive-up premium costs.
“The private sector has a vital role to play in easing pressure on the NHS,” Hill added. “The recent Keep Britain Working report advocated the benefits of offering tax relief on workplace health interventions that keep people in work, and ahead of the Spring Statement, there is a huge opportunity for the government to take this agenda forward.
“This would not only enable them to ease pressure on overwhelmed NHS services but help tackle sluggish economic growth and boost the country’s productivity.”
