The good folks at Trajectory have published their latest ‘Slow Futures’ blog – the one where they show that, perhaps to our surprise, some things don’t change much.
This one is about our relationship with the NHS. Here is a condensed version of what they say:
- Bed occupancy is at 90%, resident doctors are set to go on strike, average referral to treatment waiting times were over 13 weeks (in June), and only 60% of NHS patients are treated within 18 weeks.
- Unsurprisingly, satisfaction with the NHS fell to a record low of 21% in 2024 (British Social Attitudes survey).
But this hasn’t led to a large number of people switching to Private Health Insurance – held by 12% of adults in 2017, 13% in 2020, and 14% in 2024 (FCA’s Financial Lives Survey).
Why the slow change?
- Private Health Insurance isn’t cheap, gets more expensive as you age, and there’s a Cost-of-Living crisis on.
- Why buy Insurance when the NHS is free.
- How do I know what I need cover for?
- …and affection for the NHS remains deep.
Satisfaction with the NHS for Range of Treatments (51%) and Quality of Care (48%) in the BSA survey shows we remain reasonably pleased. If the NHS can address waiting times, a mass exodus to Private Health Care will remain unlikely.