NHS leaders have urged ministers not to allow a “two-tier” health system to emerge in Britain after research shows a huge rise in demand for private care amid record NHS waiting times. 

The poll by Ipsos found that a third of the 2,104 adults surveyed were either using private care or considering it within the next six months. 

While the number of people who paid for healthcare in 2021 jumped by 29 per cent compared with before the pandemic in 2019. 

NHS waiting times was cited as the most common reason why people had or were thinking of switching. Some 44 per said they found it too hard to get an NHS appointment, while a fifth (22 per cent) said it was to ease the pressure on the NHS.

With the NHS backlog in England now standing at a record 6.7 million, health experts warned that long waiting times could be fuelling the growing demand for private care. 

NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor has urged the next government to ensure more support is given following the pandemic.  

“The NHS is in this dire situation because it is still reeling from a decade of austerity, continued underinvestment and understaffing, and the devastating consequences of the pandemic,” he said. 

“The NHS is there for everyone and leaders can see plainly how the last two years have exacerbated health disparities across the country.

“Future government policy must bear this in mind and not instil a two-tier system in the NHS based on affordability that could put people off from seeking the help they need when they need it.”

Healthwatch England national director Louise Ansari said that for the majority of people, choosing to go private is not an option, warning that the rising cost of living could widen inequalities.