Long waiting times have traditionally been one of the main reasons that people in the UK opt for private medical insurance to be seen in a much shorter time at a private healthcare clinic. In the past few years however, the NHS has made significant improvements in cutting their average waiting times but it seems that this news has not affected some people’s attitudes towards the health service. According to one of the latest surveys, less than one in five people (18 percent) were satisfied with the waiting times for operations in the UK. The research, carried out by The Economist Intelligence Unit found that this lack of contentment was much higher in the UK than in the United States where 30 percent of people were satisfied with the waiting times.


Illness is not something you want to drag out for a long time. Once diagnosed, you want to be treated in the shortest time possible and get back to work or your normal daily activities. Even though NHS waiting times have been reduced, you may still have to wait for up to 18 weeks and this is too long for some people. One quarter of the British people who took part in this study said that they would be willing to pay to reduce these waiting times. Three quarters also said that they would like the option to choose where they want to be treated and which doctor they would like to see but over half said that they weren’t encouraged to do so. Freedom Healthnet highly values this choice and has no hospital lists unlike some private health insurance providers which means that there are even more options available.