Number of Brits paying for medical care 'risen by a THIRD since Covid'

The number of Brits paying for private medical treatment has risen by more than a third since Covid began, figures show.

Roughly 199,000 people forked out for ops such as hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery in 2019.

But last year the figure stood at 272,000, a rise of 36.7 per cent. 

Record waits for routine NHS procedures have been blamed for the spiralling trend, with 7.33million now in the queue. 

The £150billion-a-year service is creaking at the seams, with it battered by a staffing exodus, Covid-induced backlogs and a series of devastating strikes over the winter.

Sommer Tebenham, from Hove, is just one who turned to private healthcare, taking out a £5,500 loan to fund a gallbladder op after being told she faced a wait of up to 12 months.

In a bid to combat the ever-growing waiting list, the NHS is expected to pay private companies to perform cancer checks.

Rishi Sunak will unveil the policy next month, it was claimed today. 

Patients will also be able to book NHS-funded procedures in private facilities using the app under separate plans set to be confirmed tomorrow.

Data on the number of Brits deserting the ai...
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