We’ve carefully chosen our cover for employers and employees – helping businesses offer practical health benefits for more, or all, of their workforce.
One of the most expensive elements of private medical cover is cancer treatment. At Equipsme, our focus is on the early diagnosis of cancer – often the most important stage that can make the biggest difference to health outcomes.
While survival rates in the UK depend heavily on the type of cancer and the stage at diagnosis, generally, patients diagnosed at Stage 1 or 2 have higher survival prospects - often exceeding 90% for highly treatable cancers. Left unchecked to progress to Stage 4, survival drops dramatically across the board.1
Taking the four most common cancers in the UK as an example, the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer 2 when diagnosed at Stage 1 can be up to 100%, dropping to just 50% when diagnosed at Stage 4. Breast cancer 3 can also be up to 100% vs 30%, bowel cancer 4 90% vs 10%, and lung cancer 5 65% vs 5%.
Specialist consultations, diagnostic tests and scans up to the point of cancer diagnosis are included in our plans except GP+ (assuming the condition or symptoms aren’t otherwise excluded – for instance pre-existing or chronic conditions). Upon diagnosis, people would then transition back to the NHS for their treatment.
But what does that transition look like in practice?
We talked to our GP adviser Dr Mark - a practising NHS GP partner for 16 years, who is also involved in GP training across South East England.
Is it hard to move between private and public doctors?
“It’s tempting to think that private medicine is something that happens with these doctors over here, and that NHS medicine happens with those doctors over there – but that’s just not the case.
“Very often doctors will have both private and public lists of patients, and will work across several different hospitals to see them. The days when private and NHS care are completely separate are gone, and if you are diagnosed with something under your private medical insurance which is also treated by the NHS, you can choose to move back to the NHS at any time.
How does moving from private to public care work?
“Following a cancer diagnosis, the most important thing is to move onto the next steps – planning and delivery of treatment – as soon as possible. There are two ways this can happen. Either your consultant will put you on the NHS list, which can often be their
own list, or ask your GP to start the process at your local NHS unit.
The decision is based on geographic considerations and the speed with which you will be seen, meaning that there could be a wait depending on NHS resources at the time, but your consultant should be able to steer you through the process.
What are the advantages of going back to the NHS?
“People should always be using the best care option they have. Now, when it comes to cancer treatment, the best care option is more often than not the NHS itself.
“Cancer of any sort is a complicated disease that often involves multi-disciplinary teams to tackle it, from surgeons to radiologists, imaging specialists to after-care physiotherapists, immunotherapy to histotripsy - and many more teams and treatments. A private hospital may not have all of those resources. NHS cancer units do, and the quality of multidisciplinary decision-making is very high.
“What’s more, after the point of diagnosis the NHS is still incredibly successful at treating cancer. Don’t do it down - in a health crisis, this is the team you want in your corner.
How big a problem are waiting lists on the NHS?
“There is no point pretending NHS waiting lists aren’t a huge issue, and that many people aren’t already choosing private care to avoid them.
“From my perspective as a doctor, it’s all about the patient. If people are able to invest in their own health to fast-track an intervention they need – or if they have insurance that can help them do the same thing – that absolutely means one less person in the NHS queue. Which at the end of the day benefits everyone.
Can private and public systems work together?
“The fact is that to preserve the NHS and the good it can do, private and public healthcare have to work together – and they generally do. Surprisingly, well in fact, because the two systems are already interlinked.
“I would definitely advise my patients not to be afraid to use both in any combination that works for them to look after their health, and get the attention they need when they need it.”
References
1www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancersurvivalinengland/stageatdiagnosisandchildhoodpatientsfollowedupto2018
2 www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/prostate-cancer/survival
3 www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/breast-cancer/survival
4 www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bowel-cancer/survival
5 www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/lung-cancer/survival
All our information is desk-based research from credible sources only, including the NHS and medical/disease charities.
Author: Abi Stevens
Date created: June 2026
