Healthcare in the United Kingdom
66,000 of the 200,000 non-NHS patients treated in the private hospitals between July and September 2022 paid themselves. The rest were covered by health insurance. Most of the private hospitals do work for the NHS as well as that paid for privately.  As most do not have intensive care units they mostly do easier work on people who are younger and healthier so the NHS is left with the more difficult work. If things go wrong with private patients they may have to be sent by ambulance to an NHS hospital.