There were more private hospital admissions in the UK last year than in any previous year on record, according to the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), the independent organisation which publishes information about the safety, quality, and costs of private healthcare.

Reported private hospital/clinic admissions were up 3% from 2023 to reach 939,000.

The volume and proportion of admissions funded by private medical insurance continued to grow, whereas self-pay fell by 3% compared to 2023.

This was despite the first three months of 2024 having the highest-ever quarterly total for self-pay admissions at more than 73,000.

London and Wales were the only areas that saw increased admissions for this payment method in 2024.

PHIN’s director of information, Richard Wells, said: “There is no doubt that the private sector continued to make a significant contribution to the UK’s healthcare in 2024.

“Every country saw record figures for several measures, including total admissions, insured admissions, and number of active consultants. And it was sustained growth; every quarter in 2024 had a record number of admissions compared to the equivalent period in previous years.

“Private hospital admissions are also becoming more universal. People in their 50s remain the biggest users of private healthcare, but there was an increase in admissions for all age groups from zero to 69.

“With the recent news that NHS waiting lists increased in March 2025, it’s likely that PHIN will continue to report record levels of private hospital admissions.

“Our research shows that people often aren’t familiar with the private sector and anyone considering private treatment, or being given the choice to go to a private hospital by the NHS, should visit our free to use, unbiased website: phin.org.uk – to find out more about how the private sector works, and the hospitals and consultants across the UK who can help them.”

NHS admissions also at high levels

Despite it being a record year for privately-funded hospital admissions, as a proportion of overall elective admissions in England, these were lower in 2024 (by 1%) than any year since 2020.

NHS-funded admissions in an NHS facility made up 84% of all admissions, privately-funded admissions 9%, and NHS-funded admissions in a private facility 6%.

There was also a very-small proportion (1%) of admissions that were paid for privately, but carried out by the NHS.

Wells said: “PHIN publishes this information, and more, as part of its mission to improve people’s understanding of healthcare so that they make more-informed decisions, and to help the sector make improvements to patient experiences.”

David Hare, chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), added: “These latest figures show that paying for treatment is fast becoming the ‘new normal’, and echo IHPN’s recent ‘Going Private’ report revealing that seven in 10 people would consider using private healthcare.

“The significant rise in the proportion of people using private medical insurance also demonstrates the clear role that employers are playing in making it easier for people to access the healthcare they need, with our research showing over half of people saying they would be more likely to apply for a job if it offered this benefit.”

Read the whole report here