Shrinking market spurs competition

By Robin Stride

Private hospitals and clinics face a big challenge to stimulate more demand as new hospitals compete with each other on price and quality, especially in London, a market analyst warns.

Philip Blackburn, health economist

Philip Blackburn, author of LaingBuisson’s latest Private Acute Healthcare UK Market Report, forecasts nominal revenue growth of around 2-2.5% in the next three years for UK private acute medical care, before taking account of modest economy inflation. 

The UK market for private acute medical care in hospitals and clinics was estimated to be worth £5.8bn in 2018, the second year of real-terms decline for the sector which shrank by 1.1% in 2018 and by 2.1% in 2017.