The number of admissions to private in-patient and day-care hospitals in Scotland reached its highest quarterly level earlier this year, new figures have shown.
There were 12,660 such admissions in the second quarter (Q2) of 202 – up 7% on the same period the previous year, according to data from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN). The use of private medical insurance (PMI) was up 12% from the same quarter in 2023 and at a record high of around 7,000 admissions.
Self-pay – where patients fund their own treatment from their savings, a loan or fundraising – remained at the same level as Q2 in 2023, but was up slightly (1%) from the first quarter for 2024. Cataract surgery was the top procedure in Q2 of 2024 with 2,300 such operations carried out, up from 2,205 during that period last year.
Hip replacements were in second place, though there was a decrease in the number performed, down from 695 in Q2 last year to 655 this year. There were increases in all of the other procedures in the top 10 apart from “bladder examination via cystocopy” and “knee replacement (primary)”.
The figures also showed the number of consultants active in private healthcare reached its highest ever level in Scotland in Q2 2024, up 5% on Q2 2023. The highest number of active consultants was in trauma & orthopaedics, with 128 in the second quarter of 2024, up from 116 in the same period the year before.
PHIN describes itself as an independent, government-mandated source of information on privately-funded healthcare in the UK.
Richard Wells, PHIN director, said: “PHIN’s latest data shows that there were a record number of reported private hospital admissions in Scotland in Q2 2024. There were 12,660 reported admissions in Q2 2024, a 7% increase on the equivalent quarter in 2023 and a 1% increase from the previous highest quarter (Q1 2024).
“This increase can in part be attributed to the long NHS waiting lists, but we’re also seeing an increasing number of businesses offering private medical insurance to their employees which could be encouraging people to seek private healthcare. We’d encourage anyone considering private healthcare to visit our free to use, unbiased website www.phin.org.uk to help them make more informed choices.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.