Activity in UK private sector dropped 84% in April
Private hospitals in the UK saw 84% fewer visits in April compared to the two previous years, according to new data from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN). This is likely to replicate the picture in other European markets like Spain and Portugal where the private sector mainly performs non-essential services. Hospitals in Germany and France that perform all types of care will have seen lower volume drops.
PHIN looked at discharges from the private sector between 2018-2020 and found that Jan and Feb saw a 3-4% rise on a YoY basis but volumes dropped 30% in April and 84% in March.
“The type of private treatments delivered during the pandemic has also changed significantly, with medical oncology becoming the largest single speciality performed, making up an estimated 63% of all privately funded admissions in May 2020,” PHIN said.
Trauma and orthopaedics went from forming a quarter of all treatments to less than 10%, while ophthalmology and plastic surgery virtually disappeared.
Images courtesy of PHIN.
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