THE number of patients in Scotland funding their own treatment has soared by 68 per cent since the pandemic, according to new data.

Official figures from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) show that the number of people paying for operations, tests, and other procedures at private hospitals climbed to 4,700 during July to September 2021, up from 2,800 for the same period in 2019.

The surge in "self-funding" patients comes as the number of people paying for private healthcare through an insurance policy fell by 14% over the same period, from approximately 5,800 in 2019 to 4,900 last year.

This can be a slower process than self-funding.

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Although the Scottish figures do not provide a breakdown of what treatment patients were funding, a separate release earlier this week found that there had been a 167% increase in people self-funding hip replacements across the UK in 2021 compared to 2019, along with a 127% increase in self-funded knee replacements in the private sector and a 63% increase in self-funded cataracts procedures.

It comes amid spiralling waiting lists for elective care on the NHS, with data showing that one in 20 people in Scotland currently on lists for an inpatient or day case procedure have been waiting over two years.

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Matt James, chief executive of PHIN, said: “Our data shows that a greater number of people in Scotland opting to go private are paying out of their own pocket to do so.

“PHIN’s role is to help people make sure they are fully informed, so they make the choices that are right for them and avoid any nasty surprises.

"This is especially important for anybody who is new to private healthcare and paying themselves, as they do not have an insurer to help them.

“It’s important to know what questions to ask, and to choose hospitals and consultants that are transparent about their costs and clinical performance. I would urge people to check that their care providers appear on our independent website, which is there to help people research their options with both guidance and data.”

READ MORE: One in 20 patients waiting over two years for NHS operations

PHIN is the independent, government-mandated source of information on privately funded healthcare in the UK.

It compiles data on private hospital activity as well as information on safety, adverse incidents, and consultants' fees and costs.

A separate YouGov poll commissioned by PHIN also shows that more than a fifth (22%) of people in Scotland say the Covid-19 pandemic has made them more likely to consider using private healthcare – an increase of two per cent from when it last asked the question through YouGov polling in August 2021.

One in 10  people said they were less likely to use private healthcare, while 63% said the pandemic has made no difference.

Around 10% of all respondents said they had used private healthcare services since the pandemic began, but 58% stated they would have opted to use NHS services for the type of care they received before the pandemic.

UK-wide figures also show consultants – the vast majority of whom focused on supporting the NHS during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic – are slowly moving back to work in the private market.

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However, according to the latest figures there are still fewer consultants actively treating private patients in Scotland than before the pandemic.

From April to September 2019, there were 477 consultants in Scotland working across private healthcare in Scotland; during the same period for 2021 this had dipped by 12%, to 418.