Brits now seeking medical treatment abroad in record numbers
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show 523,000 people left the UK to seek treatment abroad in 2024, up from 431,000 in 2023.
New figures show more than half a million British patients left the UK for healthcare overseas last year, a 50 per cent rise in two years.
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Record numbers of patients are seeking treatment abroad to avoid long waiting times with the NHS, despite a £25bn boost from Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Patients travelling to countries such as Poland, Romania and Turkey for operations risk treatment from medical providers that undergo mixed levels of regulation.
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Growing waiting lists have forced many patients to seek alternatives, with both domestic private clinics and foreign medical services now serving as popular ways to avoid the queues.
Between 2022 and 2024 the NHS waiting list in England rose from 6.1 million to 7.4 million.
Dental treatment, cosmetic surgery and hip replacements are among the most popular procedures being sought out abroad. Prices are typically lower in many of the most popular destinations, with dental and cosmetic work now becoming a booming industry in Turkey.
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, said: “It’s appalling hundreds of thousands of taxpayers have been forced to go abroad for medical treatment they should be accessing for free on the NHS.
“We are overhauling the NHS to put an end to the grossly unfair two-tier system we inherited, where people who can’t
“Too many people are also being lured overseas for cheap cosmetic procedures, only to come home with life-changing complications that end up costing the NHS. That’s why we’ve launched a major drive to raise awareness of the risks and crack down on dangerous medical tourism.”
Labour made fixing the creaking NHS one of its top priorities when it was elected, with the Chancellor directing funds raised from the increase on employers’ National Insurance contributions and capital gains tax last autumn to bringing down backlogs.
Some progress was made, with waiting lists undergoing a noticeable reduction.
However, in recent months they have grown again, with the latest NHS data showing an increase for the third month in a row as well as a rise in 12-hour A&E waits.
Labour have already dealt with a doctors strike this summer and despite an above inflation pay rise, now face further NHS strikes this winter.
Junior doctors are planning a five-day strike in November, after their strikes in July led to thousands of cancelled appointments.