For many people in the UK, access to private healthcare is a luxury not a necessity.

We wait longer for appointments and put up with last minute cancellations because the NHS is free and accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Knock-on effect:

What makes matters worse is that our hard-working NHS Doctors and nurses are shouldering an ever-increasing burden- they work double shifts, are underpaid, and burnt out from stress.

The culmination of these issues is that the NHS (through no fault of their own) ends up treating patients like a Dam with a crack. They patch them up as best they can and send them on their way.  This method solves the issue temporarily (and is certainly cheaper in the moment than investigating more fully there and then), but unless they spend the time investigating why the crack has appeared in the first place, chances are in the future more cracks will appear, or worst case, the dam will break entirely.

There are numerous examples in the media of patients going to their GP with an issue repeatedly before getting a referral to a specialist for something that, if caught sooner, would have meant the avoidance of invasive treatment and its potentially life changing consequences.

Access to private health care offers a convenient and ultimately better long-term solution, both for your health, and the NHS’ bottom line.

Statistically speaking, those that have access to private health care in this country get seen by a specialist 18 times faster than those that rely purely on the NHS.

If we extrapolate this figure out to consultations, investigations, and treatment all of a sudden the difference having private health care could make to you is staggering.

Could you imagine the difference an 18-times quicker diagnosis could make in terms of a prognosis?

Survive or Thrive

In the long run, having access to private health care could literally mean the difference between surviving and thriving.

If the NHS is the patch on the crack, private health care is the inspector and engineer getting to the root of the issue and repairing it before things get worse.

To give an example:

You go to the GP with a symptom.

They advise you that they could refer you to a specialist, but it will take a long time and the problem on first examination is minor.

You disagree but take the prescription you are given and go on your way.

Several months go by and the issue gets worse. By the time you get to see a specialist it has become severe.

The treatment needed to fix the issue is extensive and requires a long time off work to recover. (Income Protection would help here)

The knock-on effect of these delays affects you for years to come, mentally, physically and financially.

Access to private health care for even the start of this process would mean that your diagnosis was quicker, the problem discovered and treated sooner, and your recovery time greatly reduced.

Compound this differing experience over a lifetime; Every time something is wrong instead of patching the problem, you are repaired to the fullest extent possible.

Your mental, physical, and financial wellbeing are improved as a result, meaning that you are better off in every way as a direct result of private healthcare.

For those that worry about the cost of accessing the private sector, Health insurance offers an elegant solution.

By paying a monthly premium, you can ensure that you have a way to get the care you need in a quick and convenient manner without dipping into your savings to do so.

You can book an appointment at your own convenience, and even get access to advanced drugs and treatments that the NHS is unable to provide.

It can give you the peace of mind that if the NHS falls short you are not going to spend sleepless nights waiting for the dam to spring yet another leak, leaving you potentially damaged beyond repair.

If you’re wondering why Private Medical Insurance can help you – speak to Switch Health