Long NHS waits help drive more patients to pay for private surgery
The number of British people choosing to pay for private hospital surgery has soared with the total amount spent doubling in six years to £1.1bn. Widespread NHS rationing of treatments and record waiting lists have helped deliver a 7.4 per cent real-terms growth in self-paying patients between 2014 and 2018. Experts forecast the self-pay market for operations will continue to grow from £1.1bn in 2018 to £1.3bn by 2021