Private firms working with the NHS have reportedly profited by at least £1.6bn in the last two years, an investigation published by The Guardian has revealed.
According to the findings, 760 private firms profited from the UK’s national healthcare system while offering services such as CT scans and hip and knee replacements.
The Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI) also claimed that £2bn of the £12bn went to firms located outside of the UK, and £533m went to firms registered in tax havens.
Branded “scandalous” by some MPs, the reporting suggests that private companies are likely making high profits from public healthcare, and taxpayer money might be siphoned into tax havens as the UK’s health system struggles.
Private companies do play a key role in UK health, supporting millions of people through services, and according to the Department of Health and Social Care, “tackling the waiting list backlog.”
Breaking down such expenditure isn’t necessarily straightforward, and The Guardian also quoted a government spokesperson as saying there is a zero-tolerance approach to “gaming” the system.
However, the CHPI’s director is calling on the UK government to cap the profits that private companies can make from providing NHS services.
Here are some numbers about the NHS that you need to know.
£215 billion: NHS England spending cap
In the financial year 2026 to 2027, the maximum spending cap for day-to-day operations is £215.352 billion, subject to certain rules.
Despite a significant budget, many NHS services remain strained by ongoing pressures, including long waiting lists and structural challenges.
71,517 people: waited more than 12 hours in A&Es in January
According to the latest figures, the number of people waiting more than half a day in A&E departments, from a decision to admit, has increased sharply in just two months.
It’s the highest waiting figures recorded since monthly records began in August 2010.
1,379,163: NHS staff in full-time equivalent roles
According to NHS Digital data, there are 1,379,163 full-time equivalent staff in NHS trusts and organisations as of January 2026. This is 0.4% from the previous year.
The mean annual earnings per person in NHS trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England were £43,877 in the 12 months up to the end of January 2026, but these figures vary significantly depending on roles and employment structure.
13.6 weeks: median wait time
According to Referral to Treatment (RTT) figures published by the British Medical Association, the median wait time for people awaiting treatment 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
According to the European Medical Journal, around 21,000 NHS posts will be cut by 2028 due to financial issues that are “getting worse”.
This reportedly includes 3,600 clinical roles, vacancy freezes and role restructuring.
18.4 million: treatments delivered in 2025
According to NHS figures, the NHS “delivered more elective activity in 2025 than any other year in its history.”
This included 18.4 million treatments and operations in 2025, up from 18 million the year before.
13.6 weeks: median wait time for people
