NHS pays to send British patients abroad for treatment after waiting lists surge to record lengths

The number of NHS-funded overseas treatments rose from 99 in 2022-23 to 141 in 2024-25, according to figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests.

Patients are travelling to countries including Poland, Lithuania and the Czech Republic for procedures ranging from routine hip replacements to complex cancer surgery.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the situation as "unacceptable", but said the Government "inherited a broken NHS, with patients left waiting far too long for treatment, forcing many to go private or even seeking healthcare abroad."

Streeting pledged that his forthcoming 10-year health plan would "catapult the NHS into the 21st century and get people seen on time in a modern health service on British shores."

He highlighted recent progress, noting that in less than a year, the Government had "delivered 3.6 million more appointments, cut the waiting list by almost a quarter of a million, and diagnosed an extra 100,000 suspected cancer patients on time".

Poland emerged as the most popular destination, with the NHS funding 72 procedures there between 2022-23 and 2024-25.

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Germany followed with 59 procedures, then Italy at 32, Belgium at 31 and Ireland at 26.

Despite fewer procedures, Ireland accounted for the highest costs at approximately £3.15million over three years. The NHS also spent £224,000 on treatments in Germany, £147,000 in Poland, £138,000 each in Switzerland and Italy, and £134,000 in Austria.

Gynaecology surgery and hip replacements were the most common procedures sought abroad. Patients also travelled for cancer treatment, hernia repairs, gallbladder removal and cataract surgery.

Some 1.4 million people are still waiting for gynaecological or orthopaedic procedures on the NHS, including hip replacements, in England.

Of these, almost 43,000 have waited more than a year for treatment since their diagnoses, according to April 2025's figures.

Dennis Reed of Silver Voices called the situation "a terrible indictment of the state of the NHS", adding: "People have to be desperate to think about having hospital treatment in another country, hundreds of miles away."

"It is really worrying and it's also worrying about the inequalities," he added. "Most of us wouldn't know about this scheme, and many could not afford the travel and hotels, so the vast majority of the population just have to put up with really long waits."

Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said the trend reflected "the very severe problems of the NHS" and could worsen inequalities as the scheme requires patients to navigate complex applications and fund their own travel.