The Rise of Membership Schemes in Private Healthcare: A Win-Win or Just Another Payment Plan?
In recent years, the private healthcare sector in the UK has seen a significant rise in membership schemes, loyalty programmes, and payment plans. This shift has partly been driven by the increasing strain on the NHS, leaving many patients seeking alternative ways to access timely healthcare. At the same time, the focus on preventative health amongst consumers is growing as we have seen in the wellness and longevity markets. On the provider side, such schemes are a strategic move to lock in patient spending, increase customer lifetime value, and create long-term relationships—an approach that has proven successful in other industries.
The Growing Trend of Private Healthcare Plans
To understand the scale of this movement, we turned to Rare Monitor for insights. We found that 6,193 private healthcare companies in the UK now offer some form of membership, loyalty, or payment plan:
5,766 providers offer payment plans
455 mention loyalty schemes
371 offer membership schemes
Overall this represents 11.5% of the UK private healthcare market.
From this data, it is evident that payment plans are the most widely adopted, whereas true membership schemes remain a small part of the market. But does this approach to membership schemes truly benefit patients, or is it simply a way for healthcare providers to secure revenue?
Understanding the Differences: Loyalty, Payment Plans, and Membership
To evaluate these models, it is important to distinguish between the three main approaches:
Loyalty Schemes – These work similarly to retail or airline loyalty programmes, where patients earn points, discounts, or benefits for repeated visits or treatments. While this can incentivise customer retention, it does not necessarily provide upfront value or assurance of care.
Payment Plans – These allow patients to spread the cost of treatments over time. While this helps with affordability, it does not fundamentally change access to healthcare services. Patients are still paying per treatment, just in a more manageable way.
Membership Schemes – This is a subscription-based model where patients pay a recurring fee for access to healthcare services, often with perks such as priority booking, discounted consultations, or even unlimited GP access. Unlike payment plans, membership schemes create a sense of belonging and provide tangible value beyond financing.
Why Membership Schemes Offer the Best Long-Term Value
While payment plans may be the most common approach, they do not fundamentally improve access to care. They merely offer a different way to pay for the same services. Membership schemes, on the other hand, align better with patient needs by ensuring access to healthcare without the stress of unexpected costs. They can provide benefits such as:
Guaranteed appointment availability
Fixed, predictable costs
Proactive healthcare management rather than reactive treatment
For healthcare providers, membership models also provide a more stable revenue stream and better patient engagement. However, the success of these programmes depends on what is actually being offered. If the benefits are not meaningful or the costs outweigh the perceived value, patients will not see the point in signing up.
The Future of Private Healthcare Memberships
The private healthcare sector has a real opportunity to rethink how they structure patient relationships. While payment plans may offer short-term financial flexibility, they do not create lasting value. Membership models, if designed well, could be the key to a more sustainable and patient-centric approach to private healthcare.
As more providers explore these models, the question remains: Will they prioritise genuine patient benefits, or will they simply use these schemes as a financial tool? The answer will shape the future of private healthcare accessibility in the UK.
