NHS waits force patients to pay for private ops
Long NHS waiting times appear to be pushing people into paying thousands of pounds for private treatment.
There were 69,000 self-funded treatments in the UK in the final three months of last year - a 39% rise on the same period before the pandemic.
Experts said it was a sign of how desperate people had become.
The BBC has seen evidence of people taking out loans and resorting to crowdfunding to pay for private treatment.
The figures from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) do not include those who have private insurance - instead they are the people paying the full cost of treatment themselves, leaving them liable for huge bills.
Patient groups warned there was a risk of a two-tier system being created, with the poorest losing out because they were the least likely to be able to afford to pay for treatment.
Patient watchdog Healthwatch England said waits for treatment were one of the most common concerns flagged by patients, and warned the situation risked "widening health inequalities".
Chief executive Louise Ansari said for most people going private "simply isn't an option", especially with the cost-of-living crisis.
"People on the lowest incomes are the most likely to wait the longest for NHS treatment. This leads to a worse impact on their physical health, mental health and ability to work and care for loved ones."
Source: BBC News, 21 July 2022