00:01A patient watchdog says a two-tier health system is beginning to emerge as more people
00:06pay privately for treatment to avoid NHS waits. Healthwatch England says polling suggests 16%
00:13of people used private healthcare in the past year, compared with 9% two years earlier.
00:19Four in ten of those who paid for care said long waiting times were the main reason.
00:24The organisation also analysed hundreds of thousands of pieces of patient feedback
00:29gathered over several years. Government ministers say they are working to cut waiting lists
00:35and improve care. Recent figures show nearly four in ten patients still wait longer
00:39than the NHS target time for hospital treatment.
Comments