18 Week Waiting Lists

Private medical insurance enables people to get prompt medical treatment for acute conditions. Early treatment of many conditions does not only decrease anxiety and suffering but also increases a patient's long term wellbeing and medical outcomes. This week health secretary Andy Burhnam, has caused a political controversy by telling the Sunday Telegraph that Labour plan to treat patients via the private sector if they have been on a waiting list for longer than 18 weeks.

18 weeks is still a very long time in health insurance terms. As covered by Health Insurance News UK there are policies which offer a six week option. This means that if the NHS cannot treat you within six weeks then you can be treated under the terms of your medical insurance. Apart from this kind of policy most health insurance clients are seen rapidly.

Some people object to NHS patients being treated in private health establishments claiming that it is unfair that they are paying for health cover yet the same kind of treatment is being given away for free to NHS patients.

However the partnership between the private sector and the NHS has been in existence for quite some time with many claims being made that it costs the NHS less money to contract operations out to private medicine than it does to open up theatres during weekends. In the last few years private health providers have increased their involvement with the NHS. A recent survey found that in 2007 53,500 inpatient and day patients were treated in private establishments but the figures rose to 151,000 in 2008. This represented 16% of total volume in mainstream independent hospitals

The new government directive will be passed as law. Mr Burnham said:

'This will be a key battleground for the next election. This is about embedding patient rights and will prevent a return to the days when people languished on waiting lists under a Tory government.'

Overall the government target of 18 week maximum waiting lists has been achieved. Its an improvement but far from being an ideal. The extra legal incentive for hospitals to comply or otherwise be forced to pay for private treatment will supposedly encourage trusts to find ways to improve waiting lists times.