In recent years, the NHS has increasingly been turning to private facilities to treat its patients in an attempt to cut long waiting lists, but it seems that the Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTC’s) will now also be available to those patients with private health insurance. In fact, some private policy holders have already been using such facilities and taking advantage of some of the benefits they can offer, such as being in a convenient location as well as providing quick treatments for specific problems, access to brand new purpose-built facilities and are both friendly and personalised.

Some ITSC’s are only offering their care and equipment to NHS patients, but others like Ramsay Healthcare, which has just built eight new healthcare centres, are offering their services to private health insurance customers. The range of treatments that a private patient could receive at an ITSC like Ramsay’s is wide. Many routine surgical operations such as varicose vein treatments, hernia repairs and colonoscopies are available, along with cosmetic procedures and access to MRI and CT scanning equipment.

The Department of Health, while recognising the priority for NHS patients, has also welcomed the increased choice for private patients, saying that the new treatment centres could be available to all “should the local agreements and the capacity be available”. It is hoped that not only will ITSC’s widen the choice for people with private health insurance, with cash plan policies already giving the option of supplementing NHS care, but The Confederation of British Industries believes that the integration of private companies with the National Health Service “encourages innovation and increases efficiency more widely”. The government have also this month given the go-ahead to three more ITSC’s in Greater Manchester, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and are expected to give a decision on further proposals of schemes in Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire in November this year.

There has never been a better time to take out a private medical insurance policy. The number of state of the art private medical facilities is increasing all the time, and there have been two high profile cases just this month. Welsh private medical company, The Independent General Practice, Wales’ first private practice, will open a ‘super-surgery’ at the end of March in Cardiff Gate. The centre will offer a wide range of services including various vaccinations, occupational health procedures and physiotherapy as well as routine GP care for up to 5,000 patients at a time. On top of this, discussions are taking place to offer minor plastic surgery to complement the anti-ageing treatments that are already available like Botox and collagen fillers.

BUPA has recently bought the well known Cromwell Hospital in London for £90 million. It is all part of a project to create a centre of excellence for private patients as they plan to invest a further £30 million into the facility. It is already renowned for pioneering medical equipment and cancer services, with late footballer George Best being one of its previous patients.

Is it any wonder then that an increasing number of people are getting quotes for private health insurance with access to such high standards of medical care? Other major companies for example Virgin, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco have all produced plans of ‘polyclinics’, which the local primary care trusts lack the money to fund. Virgin has a vision of a practice offering laser eye treatment, dental care, pharmacies, beauty facilities and alternative therapies amongst others. They have predicted that by 2050, private healthcare will take an equal proportion of the gross national product as the NHS.