The report from policy think tank Prydain argues that the private sector should be used to deliver immediate improvements to patient care.
A new report from policy think tank Prydain has called for the increased use of private healthcare to alleviate what it calls “the worsening health emergency” in NHS Wales. It highlights that the NHS in Wales is under unprecedented strain thanks to an ageing population, rising disease prevalence, and record-high waiting times exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is in line with the new deal that British prime minister Keir Starmer announced in mid-January with the independent sector as part of plans to end the hospital waiting list backlog. As Healthcare Today reported at the time, the independent healthcare sector estimates that it has the capacity to provide an additional one million appointments a year for NHS patients.
Despite the Welsh government’s £11 billion health and social care budget, NHS Wales continues to struggle with performance metrics that lag behind other UK nations. According to Prydain, incremental reforms have failed, and the healthcare system requires a fundamental reset to recover and refocus on long-term sustainability.
The report argues that opposition to private sector involvement in the NHS is misguided, as private companies already manufacture drugs, provide general practice services and supply critical medical equipment. Expanding this role temporarily is a pragmatic response to the crisis, not a fundamental shift away from a publicly funded NHS.
Prydain also calls for an urgent conversation between the Welsh and UK governments to discuss additional funding and resource-sharing measures. The report suggests that the Welsh government must overcome ideological resistance and embrace solutions that will deliver immediate improvements to patient care.
