New research suggests more people are turning to private healthcare, with difficulties accessing NHS care quickly remaining a key reason. We want to know what this looks like for people in Westmorland and Furness.
Waiting for healthcare can be difficult, particularly when you're worried about your health or living with pain.
But what happens when the wait feels too long? And does being able to access treatment sooner increasingly depend on whether you can afford to pay?
At Healthwatch Westmorland & Furness, we recently heard from someone who decided to pay for a private scan after facing a wait for NHS care.
Reflecting on their experience, they told us:
“If I couldn't have afforded this scan, I could have been in danger.”
Their experience has prompted us to ask whether other people locally have faced a similar decision.
Are more people choosing to go private?
Recent national research suggests attitudes towards private healthcare are changing.
The Independent Healthcare Providers Network's Going Private 2026 report found that...
- 71% of people surveyed would consider using private healthcare if they needed treatment, compared with 63% in 2023.
- Around one in three (34%) said they had accessed private healthcare at some point in their lives, while 40% said they were likely to use it in the next 12 months.
Difficulty accessing NHS care quickly remains the most commonly reported reason for going private.
The research also found that people are paying privately for a range of services. Almost half (47%) of those who had gone private had done so for a consultation with a doctor, while more than a third had accessed a consultation with another healthcare professional or a diagnostic scan.
The research was carried out by Public First for the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, using a nationally representative sample of 2,086 people.
But what if you can't afford to pay?
People may choose private healthcare for many different reasons and for some it can provide greater choice or convenience.
But we're particularly interested in hearing from people who felt they needed to pay because they couldn't wait for NHS care.
Have you had to use savings to pay for a scan or appointment? Have you paid for healthcare despite struggling with the cost? Perhaps you've considered going private but decided you couldn't afford it and continued waiting for NHS care instead.
We want to understand what these decisions look like for people living in Westmorland and Furness.
Tell us your experience
If you've considered or used private healthcare because of an NHS wait, we'd like to hear from you.
You might want to tell us:
- what NHS care you were waiting for
- whether you decided to pay for private care and why
- how much affordability influenced your decision
- whether you felt you had a genuine choice
- what happened if paying privately wasn't an option for you.
What you tell Healthwatch helps us understand what is happening locally, identify recurring issues and share people's experiences with those responsible for planning and delivering health and care services.