Private referrals do not reduce the burden on the health service

While this article discussing whether doctors should ask their patients if going private is an option1 is welcome in the current climate, there is confusion about the impact of managing private referrals.The key point—one that is missing from the article—is that all healthcare provided in any given jurisdiction draws on the same pool of resources. Referring patients to private care does not create any more health worker capacity—the same pool of health professionals provides both NHS and private care. Increasing private sector work will take capacity away from the public sector and one person’s leap forward in the queue for healthcare is another person’s (or many people’s) longer wait. The article states that private healthcare referrals take pressure off the NHS; this is not true, especially because those using private care are more likely to have the ability to pay, less complex social circumstances, and fewer comorbidities.It is important to…
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