Patients paying for private ops to avoid NHS waits
Long NHS waiting times appear to be pushing people into paying thousands of pounds for private treatment.
Patient groups warned there was a risk of a two-tier system being created, with the poorest losing out because they were the least likely to be able to afford to pay for treatment.Katie was told she would have to wait up to two years for her operation "I was pretty much bedbound. I was feeling very isolated and very lonely. My mental health was definitely suffering," she said."I couldn't wait that long. I would have lost my job. It is a very active job and I couldn't do it."
The PHIN data showed there were big variations in how much the levels of self-funded treatment had risen. She got one on the NHS, but had to go private for the other. She was only able to do this after a person heard about her case when they saw her interviewed by the BBC last year.But Ms Pugh, who is in her early 60s, said there were thousands of people in her position who were still suffering because they were unable to get treatment.
"People on the lowest incomes are the most likely to wait the longest for NHS treatment. This leads to a worse impact on their physical health, mental health and ability to work and care for loved ones.""The risk is we're left with a two-tier system where some people have to wait too long for care and others feel forced to bust the bank to get the care they need."
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