UK Private Healthcare Market Update: Q1 2026 PHIN Data
Published: 4 November 2026
The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) reported 247,495 private hospital and clinic admissions across the UK in Q1 2026, a rise of less than 1% compared with Q1 2025. The figures describe admissions, not the number of unique patients or the number of health insurance policies sold.
Insured and self-pay activity moved in different directions
PHIN reported that private medical insurance-funded admissions fell by 2.6% year on year, while self-pay admissions rose by 7.7%. The funding mix for admissions in the quarter was 69% insurance and 31% self-pay.
The overall change varied by nation: reported admissions increased by 0.9% in England and fell by 1.3% in Scotland, 4.7% in Wales and 8% in Northern Ireland. Those figures describe hospital activity. They do not show how much a policy costs, what a particular insurer covers or how many people are waiting for NHS treatment.
What the figures can—and cannot—tell you
PHIN’s dataset can help readers understand activity in the independent hospital sector. It cannot predict whether a treatment will be covered under an individual policy. Cover depends on the policy terms, medical history, referral route, provider recognition and insurer authorisation.
If you are comparing cover, review benefits and limits rather than using admission trends as a proxy for policy quality. Our guide explains how to compare private medical insurance.
Compare UK policy options: compare health insurance plans.
Sources checked 4 November 2026
Figures cover Q1 2026 and may be rounded. They describe private hospital and clinic admissions, not insurance sales or individual cover.