"With sickness absence continuing to plague the workforce, businesses are facing growing costs and productivity pressures."
- Brett Hill - Broadstone
The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) has found that 2025 saw another record number of private health admissions. 953,000 admissions were reported last year, rising by 6,000 from 947,000 in 2024, and 176,000 higher than the 777,000 total seen in 2019, prior to the pandemic.
This marks the fifth consecutive year of growth in total admissions, and the fourth consecutive record year. PHIN reports that the sharp rise in insured admissions has taken up the lion’s share of this growth, also registering a record high in 2025 of 670,000 and rising by 5,000 since 2024.
Meanwhile, self-pay admissions have continued to plateau, rising by just 1,000 in the last year from 282,000 in 2024 to 283,000 in 2025.
It follows the latest NHS waiting list data, which revealed that the number of people waiting for an NHS-funded diagnostic test stood at 1.92 million in March 2026, up from 1.7 million in March 2025. Among this group, those waiting six weeks or more to receive a diagnostic test rose by 94,000 in the past year from 313,000 in March 2025 to 407,000 in March 2026.
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"Another year of record private healthcare admissions highlights just how central employer-funded private medical insurance has become to the UK’s healthcare landscape," Brett Hill, head of health & protection at Broadstone, said.
"With sickness absence continuing to plague the workforce, businesses are facing growing costs and productivity pressures. In response, healthcare benefits, like PMI, are increasingly being viewed less as a perk and more as a core tool for protecting workforce resilience thanks to their preventative care advantages.
"While PMI claims inflation has thankfully shown signs of cooling this year - helping to reduce some pressure at renewal for businesses - demand for private healthcare remains strong.
"Looking ahead, this trend looks set to continue. With political uncertainty potentially disrupting planned NHS reforms and progress to tackle NHS waiting lists remaining slow, PMI is expected to remain firmly embedded within employee benefits strategies as employers seek to support workforce health, maintain productivity and protect their bottom line from the UK’s ongoing workforce sickness crisis."
