Why Patients Sometimes Choose a Private Hospital Over the NHS

Since the 1940s, the United Kingdom has provided state-funded health care to all of its citizens. In many ways, this service is still quite unique in terms of how much of the cost is born by the taxpayer. While most people feel that the National Health Service is enough, there are some people who choose private hospital care – and in this article we will look at the reasons that patients do this.

As so many people rely on the NHS, and running parallel to this there is very little medical insurance – the NHS is likely to remain the primary care provider for a long time to come. But some people choose private hospital treatment because it offer s a greater degree of comfort, arguably, than the NHS can provide. One of the main draws is having your own private room, which contrasts with state hospitals which have several people in each ward.

Arguably, treatment is administered a lot faster in a private hospital compared to an NHS hospital. Although it should be noted that no private hospital in the UK provides Accident and Emergency treatment – so there is no concept of this life-threatening situation really risking anyone’s life.

Most people regard the use of private hospital treatment as a ‘top up’ to the National Health Service – using such services as a way to ease any discomfort that can sometimes result from using the NHS. For those with the required extra income, it can simply make the treatment of ailments more comfortable.

It is arguable that because there simply isn’t the pressure on the private medical facility, the staff have a lot more time to devote to patient care – focusing particularly on the little extras that make a stay in a hospital veer towards an experience in a hotel, and away from a clinical practice.

Many private health firms have patients who have their treatment costs met by private medical insurance. While this is one of the most widely used ways of obtaining private health care, many private hospital groups also offer a one off option, where treatment can be given to people as they need it; so someone who normally uses the service of the NHS simply decide to have one particular operation in a private hospital – to increase their comfort. It may also be that someone wishes that one of their relatives gets a little extra care in certain circumstances.

These are just a few reasons why people might opt for a visit to a private hospital rather than a public one.