This is the second of our blog posts exploring attitudes to private healthcare across the four nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). In this post, we look at perceptions of safety and levels of confidence. The sample size for each nation is small and not statistically representative, but we believe it’s worth sharing to provoke thought and inform discussion.
Many people choose private healthcare because they want shorter waiting times, more choice, comfort and continuity of care. Safety is an important part of that decision. Understanding how people across the devolved nations think about safety can show where clearer information or better support may be needed.
This builds on findings from part one , where some patients, especially in Northern Ireland, felt they needed to go private rather than choosing to. This difference helps explain why safety may matter more to some groups than others.
What do patients from the different devolved nations think about private healthcare safety?
PHIN collects data on adverse events, meaning incidents that take place during a patient’s private hospital admission which may have caused avoidable harm. Across the UK, rates stay below one per 1,000 in key safety areas. Even so, it is important for patients to understand the risks.
Survey respondents who selected safety-related factors as influencing their private healthcare decisions were asked the following questions:
- ‘Private choice – which, if any, of the following has influenced or would influence your decision to use private healthcare services? (Please select all that apply)’
- ‘Hospital choice – which, if any, of the following elements are important to you when deciding on the hospital where you would like to have private healthcare treatment? (Please select all that apply)’
When comparing nations, respondents in Northern Ireland placed less importance on safety.
This may be because some people in Northern Ireland feel they have fewer choices and feel pushed towards going private, so safety may not be front of mind. It might also reflect a different attitude to risk or a stronger sense of trust in local services.
How confident are people in using private healthcare?
Across the nations, there was little difference in positive confidence levels. One exception was Wales, where more respondents chose the option saying they were “not at all confident”. However, respondents in Wales gave the highest number of ‘not at all confident’ responses.
It is unclear why more people in Wales reported low confidence. Possible reasons include limited familiarity with private healthcare, less accessible information or differences in how people approach private services.
PHIN, as an independent source of private healthcare data, aims to ensure all patients can find the information they need. We will continue to publish articles and data to help people, including those in Wales, feel more confident using private healthcare.
Next month, we’ll publish the third and final blog post in this series, focusing on where people look for information when considering private healthcare and how those sources shape their decisions.
