Bristol has the third highest demand for doctors and dentists out of any other major UK city. The rate of searches for private healthcare across the UK is now three times the national average, compared with what it was ten years ago.
Bristol, which had the third highest search rates out of 25 cities was 40 per cent higher than the national average. Research carried out earlier this year by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found an increase in those using private healthcare who would have previously gone to the NHS.
Chris Thomas from the IPPR Think Tank said the increase is worrying because it undermines the logic of universal healthcare being according to need rather than finances. With private services increasingly being available within NHS buildings, those at IPPR fear that such trends could increase health inequalities.
READ MORE: ‘Exhausted’ nurses and healthcare assistants in Bristol feel ‘undervalued’ and ‘demoralised’
Mr Thomas said: “What we’re seeing is that when people are faced with really long waits or disruptive care they are faced with really hard decisions. Over the last 10 years and then particularly accelerated over the pandemic is that lots of NHS services have been getting worse.
“There’s been loads less cancer diagnoses than we would have expected, disruption to the dementia care plans and longer mental health waiting lists. With dentistry we’ve seen massive barriers for people trying to access [NHS dentists], this could expand across the NHS.
“Private healthcare is regularly using the same capacity that the NHS would use. Although there are some bespoke clinics in London, they are very often using the same building and the same staff.
“For those who support a strong independent healthcare sector and there being lots of choice might like to contend that it takes pressure off the NHS. But if it’s the same workers and spaces quite often, then it doesn’t take any pressure off the NHS.
“It just gives richer, more affluent people the opportunity to get to the front of the queue. The perverse part of that being that they are probably not going to be based on need in the way that the NHS is meant to be.
“Since poverty and deprivation are the biggest indicators of health outcomes. It undermines the logic of treating those with the greatest need first.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are working to ease pressure on the NHS by busting the Covid backlogs so that everyone can access a doctor or a dentist when they need them.
"There are record numbers of GPs currently in training and we are working to create 50 million more GP appointments a year.
“The NHS has set out further measures to rapidly boost capacity and resilience ahead of this winter, including boosting NHS 111 and 999 support, tackling delayed hospital discharge and creating the equivalent of at least 7,000 more beds, including through innovative virtual wards.”
Mr Thomas also points out their research alongside that of Healthwatch indicates people are getting into debt from paying private healthcare they can’t afford due to desperation for treatment. In addition to the rise in inequality produced from an increase in private healthcare, the longer waiting lists negatively impact the economy.
“We hear stories of people falling into debt and funding it through high interest loans and so there can be a very dangerous financial toxicity element to it. The fundamental principles of the NHS is that universal healthcare is the best.
“That remains the best model and tends to be something that is quite popular with the public who are happy for their taxes to go towards it. We are seeing it increasingly in the economy as well, that lots of people are economically inactive because their health has got worse while they’re languishing on waiting lists, “ added Mr Thomas.
A spokesperson at Longevita, who provided the data, said:“Amid fears of a winter NHS squeeze, characterised by difficulty getting a doctor’s appointment and long ambulance wait times, we are seeing an increase in people searching for private medical care online. For those that can afford private medical care, it can be a lifeline to those in need of a quick appointment.
“Google Trends data reveals that demand has swelled threefold over the last ten years, with dentists and doctors in need across the country.”
READ NEXT:
Elderly Bristol woman worried for her safety after two falls at her council home
Hartcliffe mum calls for childcare reform to help families escape poverty trap
Retired Bristol midwife explains why so many are leaving the profession
Hundreds of NHS vacancies in Bristol as record numbers of staff leave the sector
