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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Denis Campbell Health policy editor

NHS waiting lists drive more Britons to pay for medical treatment

NHS LaingBuisson
A radiographer preparing a scanning machine for a patient in a hospital in the UK
Providers of private diagnostic tests such as scans have reported year-on-year rises of people self-paying of 50-60% in the past 12 months. Photograph: David Curtis/Alamy

Growing numbers of Britons are paying for private medical treatment because of the record delays people are facing trying to access NHS care, a report has revealed.

They are using their own savings to pay for procedures that involve some of the longest waiting times in NHS hospital, such as diagnostic tests, cataract removals and joint replacements.

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