Long waiting lists for NHS tests, treatment and surgeries are leaving a lot of sick and ill people with a dilemma – to carry on suffering or to raise the funds to pay privately for the care they need themselves.

This can be using long-term savings or taking on debt through credit cards or loans which is often unaffordable.

Personal stories are powerful.

I read about an older woman who was forced to spend thousands of pounds of her retirement savings on private operations.

She endured a wait of almost a year to see a surgeon for an initial appointment who then told her it was likely that it would be a further 18 months before she would have an operation.

By this time, her mobility and general health had deteriorated to the point of her being in a wheelchair and her severe pain was only just made bearable by taking strong painkillers every day.

Susan Critchlow is concerned older people are being forced to use their savings to pay for their healthcareSusan Critchlow is concerned older people are being forced to use their savings to pay for healthcare (Image: HPAG)

This was someone who had paid into a system all their life with the expectation that when she needed health care it would be there.

She needed a hip operation and unfortunately for her, trauma and orthopaedics is the speciality with the highest number of waits with 800,000 people on the waiting list in March 2024.

Our ageing population, the shortage of healthcare professionals, financial constraints, and delays caused by the Covid pandemic have led to more people needing treatment than the NHS can provide within their guidelines and, as a result, longer waiting times.

No wonder that many people living with worsening conditions, with little hope of respite, look to the private sector for a possible solution and end to their suffering.

However, this alternative, unlike the NHS, does not come free but with a hefty price tag. The costs can very quickly rise to thousands of pounds, plunging patients into debt. Using savings, credit cards and loans to cover the costs can mean financial hardship or even ruin.

But being told to expect a 12-month wait to see a cardiologist for tests despite being described as an urgent case, who would not be sorely tempted to take that path for a chance to regain their health and quality of life?