Birmingham healthcare start-up business launches with comprehensive new YouGov survey on Midlanders healthcare attitudes

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A new YouGov survey, commissioned by Birmingham based healthcare start-up Get Well Soon, to gauge peoples’ views on self-pay healthcare has found that just 4% of adults in the UK are aware that they could save up to 20% by shopping around when booking surgeries such as knee and hip replacements.

The survey also revealed almost half (46%) of UK adults did not know about the likely costs and cost differences involved.

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The YouGov survey, commissioned by Get Well Soon, the UK’s first impartial private surgery booking website, provides one of the most comprehensive reports to date on British attitudes towards paying for non-emergency ‘elective’ procedures such as orthopaedic surgery, gall bladder surgery, kidney stone removal and hernia repairs.

Those surveyed were quizzed on a range of issues, including the impacts on work and personal life while waiting for treatment.

Get Well Soon founder Simon RadleyGet Well Soon founder Simon Radley
Get Well Soon founder Simon Radley

They were also asked about the most important factors to consider when booking private surgery, including how far they were prepared to travel, and the price differences that can exist from one location to another.

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On the issue of waiting times and the impact on people’s work and social life, the survey generated some very interesting findings.

When asked what people missed the most when waiting for an elective procedure, almost a third of UK adults, who have had elective surgical procedures (32%), said they missed either going to work or working at full capacity as their biggest gripes. Interestingly, this figure increased to almost half (44%) amongst those self-employed.

Walking to the shops or simply getting out and about was the next biggest miss when waiting for treatment at (29%), while over one in five (23%) missed being able to physically pick up things or lift their children or grandchildren with the figure increasing among females.

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Get Well Soon Founder Simon Radley launches business with YouGov survey on attitudes towards private healthcareGet Well Soon Founder Simon Radley launches business with YouGov survey on attitudes towards private healthcare
Get Well Soon Founder Simon Radley launches business with YouGov survey on attitudes towards private healthcare

Overall, it was older people that missed going to work the most, while for younger people playing sports and spending time with family or loved ones were missed.

When asked about the impact of waiting for a procedure on their working life, almost a third of UK adults who have had elective surgical procedure/investigations (30%), said general disruption to work or not being able to give their best at work.

This was again a huge problem for the self-employed, with more than a third (35%) reporting not being able to work to full capacity as causing considerable frustration.

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Simon Radley, the Birmingham-based founder of Get Well Soon, said: “We know the most important factors when contemplating self-pay surgery tend to be cost and speed, but the survey has also highlighted how much more people are prepared to consider when booking in an elective procedure.

“For instance, (14%) of respondents nationally are willing to travel up to 50 miles for treatment on their terms, with their chosen clinician at a time and place that works around their commitments.

“However, we also know it’s time consuming to shop around for self-pay surgery and it is time that a lot of people don’t have. So, we have designed Get Well Soon with that in mind, to make it easier for people to compare their options very quickly and easily online.

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“With the survey also revealing a general lack of awareness of the self-pay options available, Get Well Soon offers the opportunity to find out more about costs, timings, choice of hospital and consultant. Patients can then use this key information to book in the surgical procedure best suited to them.”

Respondents were also asked about their thoughts on the fairness of differences in prices for elective procedures depending on where the treatment takes place. Almost half of those surveyed (48%) disagreed that this is fair, increasing to (50%) for those over 55.

Interestingly, just over one in ten (14%) said “Don’t know” when asked their thoughts on the fairness of the different prices based on location, suggesting there is more work to be done to increase awareness of the different options to consider when booking a procedure.

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As well as the healthcare survey, people were also asked for their thoughts on queuing, given NHS waiting lists are currently estimated at around 7.6 million.

When asked what types of queue people find most frustrating, four out of five (80%) found phone queuing to be the biggest irritation – increasing to (90%) for those in the 55+ category.

Uncertainty was the biggest irritation, with almost three quarters (72%) of those surveyed feeling most annoyed when it was unclear when they would get to the top of the queue. Lost time that could be better spent elsewhere and the lack of updates on the reasons for delays were cited as a major source of frustration.