It has been estimated that approximately 7.4 million Britons have some form of medical insurance and this number is set to increase. But why are so many people deciding to opt for private healthcare and insurance, and moving away from entrusting their health to the NHS?

Obviously, there are various reasons for taking out private health insurance as we are all different and have our own requirements. While the NHS can provide a great service, often appointment waiting times are lengthy; additionally the reports of people contracting MRSA and other superbugs are also on the increase.

While the NHS remains essential to delivering care in the UK, many people want peace of mind about the standard of care they will receive should they fall ill. According to the Healthcare Commission (England), patients believe cleanliness levels in NHS hospitals are not improving. They also found wide variations in patients' experience of cleanliness between health trusts in England.

The Commission patient survey reported "striking" differences between health service trusts in some areas of patient care. The biggest variations came in waiting times for admission to hospital, mixed-sex wards, help with eating meals and food quality.

Around 75,000 adult patients were questioned at 165 trusts. The survey found the number of patients reporting their hospital was "very clean" fell from 56% in 2002 to 53% in 2007 abd has not improved since last year.
Fewer than half of patients reported lavatories and bathrooms were very clean. In the best trusts this figure was as high as 81% but in the worst was as low as 22%.

The survey found fewer patients than last year believed doctors and nurses always washed their hands between patients. At the worst performing trust, a quarter of those asked said they thought doctors did not wash their hands after examinations.

Around a quarter of people reported being in a mixed-sex ward when first admitted to hospital, and around a fifth when they moved wards. The figures showed slight improvements compared to last year.

Other reasons for choosing private healthcare are that you will be seen quickly and be able to receive drug treatment that may not be available on the NHS.

Long waiting lists are common on the NHS and we are all to aware about how long it takes to be seen when waiting for that all important appointment. Therefore, would it not be wonderful if you could be seen a lot quicker and surely it would be worth paying to secure it?

Taking out private health insurance can help to ensure that you receive the treatment appropriate to your needs. CS Healthcare offers a flexible plan, your choice, to suit your needs and you can tailor a plan to suit you. This means that if you have a specific need or want to safeguard against a certain illness for example heart and cancer, you can opt to take out the appropriate cover option.

If you wish to obtain cover for visits to the dentist, hygienist and optician you can by taking out CS Healthcare's Cash Benefit option. With this option you can claim cash pay to help pay towards the costs of everyday healthcare expenses. There are four levels of cover to choose from depending on what best suits your needs.

Private healthcare can benefits the majority of people in the UK and is definitely worth a look.

This article is free for republishing