Private Healthcare: Self-Pay UK Market Report

The second edition of the Private Healthcare Self-Pay market report is vital reading for anyone involved in this highly competitive sector of the UK health economy, be they providers, commissioners, investors or advisors to the sector.

The report highlights the growth of self-funded private healthcare, driven by NHS waiting lists, demand management by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and a more consumer focused private healthcare sector and provides the background to a £1.1 billion market for self-funded treatment in the UK’s private hospitals and clinics which has more than doubled over the last five years (£527million in 2013).

The growth in patients choosing to self-fund private hospital treatment is evidenced across all specialties and is strong in orthopaedics, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, gynaecology and urology.

Restrictions on access to NHS funding for cancer drugs is fuelling growth in self-pay oncology. There is also growth in demand for diagnostic services such as MRI scans, CT scans and endoscopy where patients are seeking a more rapid diagnosis than they can obtain under the NHS.

One in four private patients are now self-funding their treatment rather than using private medical insurance. Frustrated by the shortcomings of the NHS, consumers are beginning to shop around for private healthcare and comparing the offerings from the private healthcare providers.

Comprehensive pricing information on self-pay private treatment has been gathered by the research team. Around 6,000 prices for private treatment were collected and are analysed in the report.
The report also analyses internet searches for five of the most popular procedures and diagnostics in the UK self-pay market - cataract surgery, hip replacement, knee replacement, hernia repair and MRI scans. The level of online interest in going private for these procedures has grown steadily.

What the report covers

• Past and future growth in self-pay
• Trends in the insured versus non-insured market
• The drivers of growth
• The views of the major private healthcare providers, influencers and opinion leaders
• Trends in online search for self-pay
• Comparison of the ‘fixed price surgery’ schemes from the major providers
• An analysis of private practice consultation fees and private consultant income
• A detailed analysis of over 6,000 prices for ‘fixed price surgery’ from the UK’s private hospitals

Who is the report for

• Hospital & Clinic C-suite Professionals
• Specialist Acute Medical Care Providers
• Private Medical Insurance Groups
• Clinical Commissioning Groups
• NHS Foundation Trusts/ Private Patient Units
• Investors
• Banks
• Private Equity
• Legal
• Think Tanks
• Management Consultants