RECORD numbers of patients in Northern Ireland are opting for private healthcare as waiting lists soar, with operations like cataract surgery and hip replacements quadrupling within a year.
The biggest leap by far was for cataract surgery (which costs between £2-4,000 per eye), up more than four-fold from 385 to 1,630.
The Belfast Trust currently list an average wait of 86 weeks for routine Ophthalmology treatment, or 20 weeks for red flag cases.
Hip replacements (costing between £10-15,000) also almost quadrupled from 90 to 345 patients while knee replacements increased from 115 to 205.
Orthopaedics waiting lists in the Belfast Trust are currently at 97 weeks for routine cases and 102 weeks for urgent treatment.
In the last six months of 2024, nearly 6,000 patients chose private healthcare - just 3% below the all-time high in the previous quarter.
It was also an extra 1,200 (26%) patients compared to the second half of 2023.
The data was compiled by the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), an organisation set up by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority in 2014.
PHIN also suggest there has been a massive 374% increase in private one day treatment between 2019 and 2024 – but said this could be partly explained by improved data collection.
Admissions funded by private medical insurance (more than 3,000) were up by 48% in the second half of 2024.
Patients who paying out of their own pocket (over 2,000 ) – using savings, a loan or fundraising – also increased by nearly 5% in this same period.
Among the top 10 requested surgeries, all but one increased in 2024.
By gender, more women were using private health insurance (1,910) than men (1,570).
Self-paying for procedures among women was up by 11% and down 6% for men.
By age, admissions increased in all groups – particularly for the 70-79s with an extra 355 admissions (34%) compared to the same time last year.
David Hare, chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, told the London Times that choosing private healthcare had become “increasingly normalised” across the UK.
“Unsurprisingly, growing NHS waiting lists are the key driver, with patients going private benefiting from speedy access to the care they need, including the ability to get appointments for vital tests and scans — and their results — often within 48 hours, which can give them much-needed peace of mind," he said.
“Much of the growth in the use of private healthcare is also due to rising numbers of people accessing treatment using private medical insurance provided by their employer, with recent figures showing the numbers of Britons with health insurance at an almost 20 year high.”
A Department of Health spokesperson said: “Northern Ireland has the longest waiting times in the UK which have been significantly driven by a widening gap between rising population, demand for care and the capacity available to meet this. It is not acceptable that people should have lengthy waits for treatment and we are aware that some people are procuring healthcare privately as a result.
“The updated Elective Care Framework, published in May 2024, sets the Departmental strategy for transforming planned care to reduce waiting times. It is intended that implementation of the actions in the Framework will close the demand capacity gap and will remove the excessive waits.
“Much work is underway in that respect, for example, through the continued development of the Elective Care Centre model, delivery of an efficiency programme and through a number of system wide service reviews in various specialties including orthopaedics, urology and gynaecology, which aim to support more efficient and effective service delivery.
“Successful implementation of the Framework requires sustained and substantial investment in order to tackle the backlog of patients waiting and deliver system-wide reform. The Department continues to bid for funding to build more capacity to ensure patients can be seen in a timely manner.”
