The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) today launched its Patient Insights Explorer, a new website feature that shows how private hospital admissions, length of stay and safety incidents in the UK vary by patient characteristics, such as age, gender, ethnicity and pre-existing conditions.
Built with patients in mind, the Explorer presents clear, plain English summaries and interactive charts covering three areas of care:
- Admissions (how often people are admitted to private hospitals)
- Stays (how long people stay in private hospitals) and
- Incidents (safety related events currently including surgical site infections), with simple filters for nation and payment method (self-pay or insured).
At launch, the tool includes age, gender, ethnicity and uses a ‘patient friendly’ version of the Charlson Comorbidity Index – a tool which predicts 10-year survival in patients with multiple pre-existing conditions – to calculate comorbidity. These comorbidities / pre-existing conditions are where a patient has one or more medical condition or disease alongside their primary condition. These can complicate treatment and impact a patient’s outcomes.
Dr Ian Gargan, PHIN’s Chief Executive, said: “People want trustworthy, easy to understand information when they are weighing up their options. Our vision is that 'Everyone can make confident choices about their healthcare to get the best outcomes' and our new Patient Insights Explorer – now live on phin.org.uk – moves us closer to that.
“By adding essential context to the national picture, we are helping patients understand who typically receives private care and what a typical stay looks like. The tool also supports providers to drive improvements in their services.”
Dr Chris Smith-Brown, Clinical Advisor at PHIN, added: “We have designed the Explorer with patients at its core. By using patient-friendly language and high-level, national breakdowns, we give useful insight without overwhelming people or risking the privacy of individuals.
“This new tool builds on the range of information on the PHIN website that is already available to people considering private healthcare, including hospital and consultant profiles, as well as guides on a variety of healthcare topics.”
What’s included in the Patient Insights Explorer now?
- National level views of Admissions, Stays and Incidents by age, gender, ethnicity, and pre-existing conditions.
- Filters for nation and payment method (self-pay / insured).
What’s next for the Patient Insights Explorer?
- Future iterations will expand content in line with PHIN’s Delivery Plan and user feedback, keeping the Explorer patient-friendly while adding depth. (Visit: phin.org.uk)
Implementing the CMA Order
Today’s launch delivers on PHIN’s commitment to publish national level breakdowns by patient characteristics in line with its Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) mandated Strategy and Delivery Plan. It also supports PHIN’s strategy to fully implement the CMA’s Private Healthcare Market Investigation Order by the end of June 2026.
Access the Patient Insights Explorer
Go to the Patients Insights Explorer to compare yourself with other patients.
