In line with the findings, 760 non-public corporations profited from the UK’s nationwide healthcare system whereas providing providers equivalent to CT scans and hip and knee replacements.
The Centre for Well being and the Public Curiosity (CHPI) additionally claimed that £2bn of the £12bn went to corporations positioned exterior of the UK, and £533m went to corporations registered in tax havens.
Branded “scandalous” by some MPs, the reporting suggests that personal corporations are doubtless making excessive income from public healthcare, and taxpayer cash is likely to be siphoned into tax havens because the UK’s well being system struggles.
Personal corporations do play a key function in UK well being, supporting hundreds of thousands of individuals by way of providers, and in keeping with the Division of Well being and Social Care, “tackling the ready listing backlog.”
Breaking down such expenditure isn’t essentially simple, and The Guardian additionally quoted a authorities spokesperson as saying there’s a zero-tolerance method to “gaming” the system.
Nonetheless, the CHPI’s director is looking on the UK authorities to cap the income that personal corporations could make from offering NHS providers.
Listed here are some numbers in regards to the NHS that you could know.
£215 billion: NHS England spending cap
Within the monetary yr 2026 to 2027, the utmost spending cap for day-to-day operations is £215.352 billion, topic to sure guidelines.
Regardless of a major finances, many NHS providers stay strained by ongoing pressures, together with lengthy ready lists and structural challenges.
71,517 folks: waited greater than 12 hours in A&Es in January
In line with the newest figures, the variety of folks ready greater than half a day in A&E departments, from a call to confess, has elevated sharply in simply two months.
It’s the best ready figures recorded since month-to-month information started in August 2010.
1,379,163: NHS employees in full-time equal roles
In line with NHS Digital information, there are 1,379,163 full-time equal employees in NHS trusts and organisations as of January 2026. That is 0.4% from the earlier yr.
The imply annual earnings per particular person in NHS trusts and Scientific Commissioning Teams (CCGs) in England had been £43,877 within the 12 months as much as the tip of January 2026, however these figures fluctuate considerably relying on roles and employment construction.
13.6 weeks: median wait time
In line with Referral to Remedy (RTT) figures revealed by the British Medical Affiliation, the median wait time for folks awaiting remedy is 13.6 weeks.
In January 2019, the median wait time was 7.8 weeks.
21,000: NHS posts reportedly set to be axed over funding
In line with the European Medical Journal, round 21,000 NHS posts will probably be lower by 2028 attributable to monetary points which might be “getting worse”.
This reportedly consists of 3,600 medical roles, emptiness freezes and function restructuring.
18.4 million: remedies delivered in 2025
In line with NHS figures, the NHS “delivered extra elective exercise in 2025 than every other yr in its historical past.”
This included 18.4 million remedies and operations in 2025, up from 18 million the yr earlier than.
13.6 weeks: median wait time for folks
