Brits spent a record amount on healthcare in 2023 – but by choice or is the NHS failing?

May 2, 2024 - PRLog -- The latest consumer spending figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal UK households spent a record £32.3bn on health products and services in 2023, up £2.5bn (8.3%) over 2022's £29.8bn.

Last year, we spent £8.6bn on pharmaceutical products such as medicines, vaccines and vitamins, up from 2022's £7.9bn. We also spent £4.2bn on consultations with doctors and specialists and £4bn on dentists and hygienists.

Brits also splashed £1.3bn on acupuncturists, aromatherapists and reflexologists, although this figure also includes private nurses and midwives.

One of the most significant amounts of household expenditure was £10bn on in-patient hospital services, including medical care, meals and accommodation charges. This was another new record, up from just over £9bn in 2022.

Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, says: 'It is great that Brits are now spending more on preventative healthcare measures, such as vitamins, acupuncturists and elective finger-prick blood tests and vaccinations. However, it is concerning that a growing amount of our household spending is going on health issues that the NHS is increasingly unable to fund.

'For example, we spent £657m on therapeutic equipment last year; that's items such as spectacles and contact lenses, hearing aids and wheelchairs. Until 1986, the NHS offered free eye tests and glasses for everyone. These record figures appear just as patients in England endure another rise in prescription prices. From 1 May, NHS prescriptions rose from £9.65 to £9.90 per item.

'So these record figures present a mixed picture in many ways. It does look as if we are becoming inured to spending money on health services and equipment that was previously free. On the other hand, these results also show we are proactively choosing to spend our money on healthcare products to help ensure we remain healthier and fitter for longer. This in turn will reduce the burden on the NHS. It's a virtuous circle.

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