UK self-pay healthcare admissions have peaked

They note that while private pay admissions continue to rise across the country, data from PHIN’s quarterly private market update shows that the number of self-pay admissions declined year-on-year in the first quarter of 2023 (Q1 2023) in most English regions.

This included London, where private healthcare is most popular – PHIN noted that London and the southeast make up 42 per cent of self-pay admissions for private healthcare.

While self-pay inpatient and day care cases remain 40 per cent above where they were pre-pandemic, at approximately 70,000 cases per quarter, the number of cases has plateaued for the past two years.

By contrast, patients funding their care through private medical insurance (PMI) has risen by 18 per cent compared with pre-pandemic levels, to 227,000 cases per quarter, and is projected to continue rising as more employers begin to offer medical insurance as a perk.

As with self-pay, wealthier regions tended to have a higher proportion of people seeking to fund healthcare through PMI – London and southeast England made up 59 per cent of all PMI-funded admissions in Q1 2023.

The Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII) called for more UK tax relief for PMI earlier this year.