NHS waits: More people feeling forced into private healthcare

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Increasing numbers are raising money to go private rather than wait for NHS operations.

The BBC's Panorama spoke to staff at a surgery in north London, who spoke of "overwhelming" pressureLast October, 12-year-old Hayden Kildea was diagnosed with severe scoliosis, a condition where the spine twists and curves to the side. Left untreated, it can become a dangerous and life-limiting condition.

Data shared with BBC Panorama shows that on average, waiting lists have grown by 50% in the most deprived parts of England since the start of the pandemic, compared with nearly 35% in the most affluent areas. The Health and Social Care Board in Northern Ireland said patient demand continued "to exceed capacity across a range of specialties". It added: "As a result, even before the pandemic, the number of people waiting longer than the target waiting times was increasing."Sofia Jones, 36, has endometriosis - a gynaecological condition that leads to severe pelvic pain. Some days she could barely walk, having to stay in bed all day.

According to Anita Charlesworth, chief economist at the Health Foundation think tank: "The big worry about long waits leading people to have to go private is that it will increase inequalities, but also that many people will be forced to make awful trade-offs over their finances in order to be able to get access to the care that they need when they need it.Brenda Pugh, 61, from Petersfield in Hampshire, had to give up work in a law firm in 2019 after being diagnosed with arthritis.

New research conducted by charity Versus Arthritis and given exclusively to BBC Panorama reveals that half of people with arthritis who are currently waiting for surgery are facing an average cost of £1,739 a year to keep their pain at bay, through things like private physio appointments and over-the-counter painkillers.

 

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This comes at a time of panic buying of fuel. The same logic will apply to panic buying of health insurance (by the few who can afford it). Undeclared nudge persuasion by Tories - 'don't rely on NHS'. Health insurance will become a prestige item. NHS death by a thousand injuries.

Forced by the government into private health care 11 years of cuts and selling off bits to the private sector paving the way for completing insurance based care

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