People in higher social grades are more likely to have used private healthcare

Given that private healthcare services are either funded through out of pocket expenditure or private medical insurance, it is not surprising that people with greater financial resources are more likely to have used private healthcare. However, there are still significant numbers among all social groups – with one in five (19%) of DEs and one in four (26%) of C2s having used private healthcare in the past.

We found no real difference between people who live in urban, suburban, or rural areas in terms of whether they had used private healthcare, suggesting that this is not a significant factor in access.