NHS Increases Use of Private Hospitals to Cut Waiting Times

NHS Increases Use of Private Hospitals to Cut Waiting Times
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The number of NHS appointments, tests, and operations carried out in private hospitals and clinics has risen by nearly 500,000 this year, reaching 6.15 million, The Independent reported.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the move aims to reduce waiting times and ensure faster treatment for NHS patients, while avoiding a “two-tier” healthcare system.

Private providers now handle around 10 percent of elective NHS work, treating over 1.1 million patients and performing an average of 19,000 surgeries and 100,000 outpatient appointments weekly between August 2024 and September 2025. The government says using spare private capacity supports its target of treating 92 percent of patients within 18 weeks, alongside expanding diagnostic centres and weekend operations.