Is cheap private healthcare killing the NHS?

For those who can afford it, the pandemic has made paying for healthcare a better option than waiting for the NHS. Hannah Fearn asks what this might mean for the future of the service

With impossible wait times, attitudes to private health are changing (Getty)

During the early months of the pandemic, John (not his real name) needed to see a GP. He heard from family members that it was difficult to get through to NHS surgeries due to access being limited, morning phone lines jamming up with desperate patients. “I was in a lot of discomfort and felt it was urgent to get some medical advice, and I was uneasy about covid and going to a walk-in centre,” he explains. Instead, John decided to try out private medicine for the first time: he booked an appointment to see a virtual GP using an app for a one-off fee of £50. “It was a brilliant experience,” he says.

John works in a politically sensitive job, so feels unable to talk about his experience openly, but it has changed his opinion about private medicine and the NHS. “I do feel comfortable paying for private healthcare,” he says. “It was really easy. It feels more practical for modern life. I do prefer using these services and I will stick with them. However, I acknowledge that I’m in a fortunate position where I can afford to do this.”

John now says although he would rely on the NHS for a serious or prolonged condition, for minor or easily resolved medical complaints going private instead of trying to get a GP appointment is a “no brainer”. “Perhaps I feel a disconnect with my GP because I haven’t had one locally for a long time,” he reflects. “I am a firm believer in the NHS and worry about creeping privatisation [so] I think that private providers should be an alternative to, not a replacement, the health service.