What do people use private healthcare for?

People use private healthcare for a full range of healthcare needs. Everything from seeing a GP, to a doctor for an initial consultation, for diagnostics or scans, through to an operation or ongoing treatment for cancer and other conditions.

Nearly half of those who’ve used private healthcare (45%) said they have accessed a consultation with a specialist doctor. 34% said they’d had a consultation with another professional, and 35% had received a diagnostic test (up slightly on 2024).

Around a quarter of people have used private healthcare for an operation – either a day case or an overnight inpatient admission.

Over 65s were much more likely than other groups to have had an operation carried out privately. Just under half (44%) of the over 65s who have used private healthcare said their most recent experience using private healthcare was for an operation.