“The vast majority of private hospitals, I assume, are profit-making businesses…” - Older man from London who has never received private treatment. This assumption by a member of one of our recent research focus groups[1] is a fairly common one, but is it correct?
The NHS is over 75 years old which means that it is older than 99%[2] of the UK population (and many of those over 75 still won’t be old enough to remember life without it). It is no wonder then that it has such a strong identity and place in the nation’s hearts. Especially when you consider its commitment to medical treatment that is free at the point of access.
So why do we need a private healthcare sector?
Patients have been receiving private treatment for longer than the NHS has been operational and the public and private sector have always worked hand in hand. You may already be aware that opticians, GPs and some dentists are private providers, but private hospitals and clinics also provide many diagnostic and treatment procedures for NHS patients, as well as private ones.
Although recent data from IHPN shows an increasing role for private sector providers in the NHS recovery, the link was well established even before the current waiting list challenges led to increased private admissions. The two-sectors are well entwined and many healthcare professionals, including me, work (or have worked) in both. Some hospital groups (providers) adapt their ways of working to make it easier to work alongside the NHS, this can be on how they process data or report on patient progress. This can help when patients receive some of their treatment in the NHS and some in the private sector, which can happen regularly.
We know private healthcare can be a divisive issue in the UK and at PHIN we’re not here to tell you to use it, just to make sure that you understand your options. That way you can make more informed decisions. For instance, you can search on our website for the NHS and independent hospitals and consultants who can treat you, or read guides to learn more about the procedure you might undergo, or the sector more widely.
The NHS remains the leader in emergency treatment and most critical illnesses, especially cancer treatment. The private sector’s role is often more focused on planned procedures such as knee replacements or hip replacements, which can be funded through health insurance cover or self-pay. However, some private providers do carry out highly specialist treatments and provide complex care. The private sector also treats people who travel to the UK especially to use its services.
Profit driven healthcare?
One aspect of private healthcare that many people aren’t aware of is that some hospital groups providing private healthcare services are charities or not-for-profit organisations.
For example, Nuffield Health is the UK’s largest healthcare charity and The London Clinic also operates as a charity. This means all their proceeds are re-invested to advance healthcare for the benefit of its patients and the wider community.
The Cleveland Clinic – one of the more recent entrants to the UK private healthcare sector – “is a non-profit multispecialty academic medical centre that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education”[3], so it too is working to advance medicine for everyone’s good.
Similarly, there are private medical insurance companies who are not-for-profit, including WPA and Benenden Health.
For other companies that do make a profit, it’s not all about lining the pockets of shareholders, as some people might have you believe. For example, HCA UK says: “Over the last five years, we have reinvested over 85% of our profits back into our healthcare system.”[4]
Private businesses, including private health insurance providers, also have a great deal of scrutiny on the money they spend, leading to increased efficiencies and productivity gains.
In it for the right reasons
So while I can understand why people might assume it’s all about money, I believe that everyone who works in healthcare does so because they care and they want to make people’s lives better, whether that’s in the NHS or the private sector.
[1] See Patient perspectives
[2] According to the latest census the UK population was 59.6 million, 467900 were over 75 (0.8% population)
[3] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/about
[4] https://www.hcahealthcare.co.uk/about-hca-uk