Soaring numbers of desperate parents forced to take sick children private as waiting times soar

Soaring numbers of parents are turning from the NHS to private treatment for their young children to spare them pain and serious illness.

The number of youngsters under the age of nine who have been admitted to private hospitals has risen by 51% in the space of a year, The Sunday Post reveals today.

The increase follows a stark warning by experts that lengthy waits for NHS treatment are putting children’s health at risk.

Latest figures from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) shows that the total number of private hospital admissions in Scotland was 46,000 in 2023 – a rise of 11% from the previous year.

This meant the private sector had more admissions than in any previous year on record.

The biggest increase of 51% was in the 0-9 age group.

Dr Ian Gargan, PHIN’s chief executive, said: “With NHS waiting lists at record levels, a growing number of people are looking for alternatives and choosing to use the private sector rather than risk prolonged waits and potentially seeing their health deteriorate.”

‘Delays and painful waiting lists’

One mum told The Sunday Post that she had paid £800 for a private heart and lung check for her seven-year-old son after being asked to wait well over a year for an appointment.

She said: “He was born with a heart defect, which we were told would need monitored throughout life. But after initial treatment as a baby, promised follow-up appointments were constantly delayed or rescheduled.

“One of the other mums at school is a doctor and advised me to pay privately, and so within a month it was done.

“Our boy is fine but needs lifelong check-ups.”

She added: “We strongly support the NHS but when it’s your child, you pay out. Sadly, not every parent can afford hundreds or thousands of pounds on private care for their children.

“There’s something seriously wrong with the NHS when children’s health is risked with delays and painful waiting lists.”

A leading paediatric respiratory consultant warned the crisis in GP practices in Scotland is driving up waiting lists for hospital specialists.

“We have not given GPs enough training, confidence or equipment. Nor do we have enough of them to spend quality time with patients to diagnose those who need to see a hospital specialist and those who don’t,” said the consultant.

“The first three patients I saw in a clinic recently were two children who didn’t need to be referred and should have been managed by their GP.

“Another was a child with cancer who had waited months to see a hospital consultant.”

Waiting list warnings

In March this year, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) warned that the number of children waiting for some services had more than doubled in the past 11 years.

The body’s report recommended a full review of the child health workforce and said paediatric services must be a priority for the Scottish Government if significant improvements were to be made.

RCPCH Scotland’s Dr Mairi Stark there had been a “clear failure” to prioritise child health and that long waits could be “catastrophic” for children.

Earlier this month the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition revealed that 137 children and young people experiencing mental health problems had been waiting over a year for treatment.

Meanwhile, referrals sent to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Scotland have increased by 30% in four years.

© Andrew Cawley

Scottish Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “Your child getting seriously ill is every parent’s worst nightmare, and the NHS should be there for them in their hour of need. But these damning figures show that promise is increasingly being broken.

“That more and more families are having to go private, potentially paying thousands of pounds, just for care for their sick child is a scandal.

“Under the SNP, the very founding principle of our NHS – free care at the point of need – is under threat.”

On Thursday, Labour revealed that £83 million was spent on private healthcare last year.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said during First Minister’s Questions that official figures showed more than 1,000 rounds of chemotherapy were paid for privately in the last year. The overall figure of £83m also covered hip, knee and cataracts procedures in the last 12 months.

First Minister John Swinney said the figures were a source of “regret” but that he had to “face up to the reality of the challenges facing our National Health Service”.

The Scottish Government said yesterday: “The number of paediatric consultants within NHS Scotland has increased by 57.4% over the last 10 years and we have also added 43 additional speciality training posts to paediatrics since 2014.

“We are committed to driving down waiting times for children and continue to target resources to reduce waiting times, particularly for those waiting longest for treatment, through maximising productivity and additional resources.”