Private admitted care recovers to over two-thirds of 2019 levels
2020 estimated count of private admissions (discharges)
By Robin Stride
New figures from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) show a recovery is well underway in private healthcare after national lockdown.
Latest data covering both self-pay and insured elective patients reveals there were over 40,000 private admissions in the UK in August, which is more than two-thirds of the admissions the previous year.
PHIN reports that while admission numbers are still down on last year, the make-up of activity by consultant specialty seems to be returning to a similar pattern to earlier in 2020 year, before the pandemic.
Recovery has been chiefly driven by trauma and orthopaedics, general surgery and ophthalmology.
Trauma & orthopaedics, general surgery, and ophthalmology – estimated admissions (discharges) and market share, 2020
These showed the largest recovery, with ophthalmology more than doubling from July (2,300 admissions) to August (5,000 admissions).
Trauma and orthopaedics have seen the single largest increase in admissions, with 4,300 more admissions from July to August.
PHIN’s chief medical officer Dr Jon Fistein said: ‘Based on the data we continue to receive from hospitals, we are seeing activity steadily increasing and the balance of activity returning to pre-Covid levels. While the market for acute private healthcare hasn’t yet fully recovered, these are positive signs.
‘However, it’s not clear what impact a second Covid-19 wave over winter will have, particularly with different regional restrictions in place. We will continue to monitor this.’
Of the most prominent specialties in private healthcare, only cardiology saw a drop in activity in August, down to 600 admissions from 700 in July.
No specialties have yet recovered to the same levels of activity from before the pandemic.
PHIN said plastic surgery continues to be the slowest-recovering specialty. There were only 1,700 estimated admissions for plastic surgery in August, which is less than 40% of what it was in February, when there were 4,300 admissions.
PHIN has published an interactive report, available on our website, that shows estimated volumes and market share for each of the ten most common specialties in private healthcare for 2020.
- See ‘Private care bounces back during summer’
- See ‘International market could recover later this year’
Private activity by specialty as discharged and % total admissions (discharges)