How is COVID-19 shaping the self-pay healthcare industry?

COVID-19 has had an unprecedented effect on the UK healthcare system, placing a great strain on the public healthcare system. There has been a vast reduction in many procedures carried out by the NHS, and an increase in wait lists that may take years to return to normal levels. Many consumers who may not previously have used private healthcare are considering the use of self-pay healthcare, as they seek alternatives to NHS wait lists. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, some private healthcare institutions took on some of the NHS work to help reduce its wait lists. 

Longer wait times and fewer procedures since COVID-19 outbreak

The NHS has worked incredibly hard to tackle the vast numbers of COVID-19 patients. As with many other countries globally, the UK health system had to prioritise COVID-19, and this meant that many other procedures had to be put on hold, as medical professionals were diverted into treating COVID-19 patients, regardless of their previous speciality. According to the British Medical Association (BMA) there were nearly 4 million fewer elective procedures between April 2020 and August 2021, and nearly 27 million outpatient appointments in the same period. The BMA estimates that there are nearly 6 million people currently on wait lists, of which 1.9 million have been waiting longer than 18 weeks. 

Private institutions can help to ease the strain on public healthcare

There are several ways in which private healthcare hospitals have helped to ease the burden on the NHS. Some have taken on NHS patients for procedures since the outbreak of COVID-19. Jaishree Solanke, who manages administration for the Endoscopy Unit at The London Clinic says that the hospital “coordinated with many London NHS trusts to aid them in providing The Endoscopy Unit facilities, nursing care and administration support to help ease their waiting lists.”

For patients who are able to afford it, using self-pay, or medical insurance can also help the NHS by using private healthcare. Professionals at The London Clinic say that there has been a rise in the number of patients coming to use their services on a self-pay basis. Lina Patel, Head of Cancer Services says there has been a particular rise in self-pay patients coming in for cancer diagnostics. She says that “at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were too scared to go to hospitals because they were scared of contracting the virus.” As a result, The London Clinic saw a rise in patients coming due to its stringent COVID-19 testing procedures in place for staff and patients, which meant that it remained free of the virus. 

What’s the profile of a self-pay patient, and how is this changing?

Although the profile of those using their healthcare services on a self-pay basis is broad, the London Clinic has noted a particular rise in younger professionals using self-pay to access private treatments as they do not want to put their lives on hold while they are on waiting lists. Both Jaishree Solanke and Lina Patel agree that wanting to avoid waiting lists is the key driver of patients coming to The London Clinic on a self-pay basis. 

Our recent report on self-pay healthcare also picked up on a trend of rising consideration of self-pay healthcare among younger consumers since COVID-19 started. While 30% of total consumers in the UK feel they are more likely to consider using self-pay since the start of COVID-19, this increases to 37% of 18-24 year-olds. 

As waiting lists are likely to remain at high levels for the foreseeable future, more and more consumers are likely to opt to pay for private treatment themselves. It will be pivotal that private healthcare providers meet this demand by offering flexible payment options and full transparency about likely costs.