Britons are growing more comfortable with healthcare in retail settings, new research suggests.

According to a new study from across 15 European countries and 16,000 respondents by Deloitte, respondents from the UK and Ireland reported being ‘more comfortable’ than the majority of other countries surveyed to have healthcare interventions such as ear test, eye test, and blood pressure checks performed at a retail location instead of at a healthcare provider location.

Deloitte’s research also revealed that UK respondents proved an outlier in stating that appointments being available at convenient times was one of the most important factors in their willingness to receive healthcare interventions at a retail location.

Britons also reported being less concerned than any other country about the qualifications of a given provider.

Deloitte concluded that these findings may be indicative of the growing waiting lists for NHS patients, and a desperation to be seen by “anyone at all”.

Overall, the report found – with the reality of retail locations healthcare intervention procedures coming at a cost – that those who reported being most comfortable with the concept were consumers with high income, who considered themselves very healthy – and would therefore be less likely to require major treatments.

In its conclusion, Deloitte said: "We believe that there is a very compelling win-win-win among healthcare, society, and retail that deserves to be considered in earnest."

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