‘My GP suggested it’: Britons explain why they went private for surgery

As it emerges that one in 10 planned NHS operations in England are done in private hospitals, patients tell their stories

• Private hospitals ‘cannibalising’ NHS in England by doing 10% of elective operations
• Private healthcare could become ‘a new normal’ as NHS grows weaker

One in 10 planned NHS operations in England are now done by private hospitals, according to figures from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, the trade body that represents private health providers. Here, three patients explain why they recently had to turn to the private sector for an operation.