Daily headlines about superbugs, falling staff levels and patchy quality of care in hospitals have led to many people turning their backs on the NHS and choosing private cover.

The latest figures from the Association of British Insurers show that after a decade in decline, the number covered by private medical insurance is on the rise and now tops 6m.

And a recent survey by Bupa found that two thirds of its customers cited the risk of infection from superbugs such as MRSA as being a key reason for going private.

Fiona Harris, head of personal markets at the healthcare giant, says: 'The whole issue of cleanliness has shot up the agenda. People don't want to be treated in the sort of hospital where you have to keep on your slippers every time you pop to the bathroom.'

About two-thirds of those with private healthcare are insured through a company plan, but more than a million individuals choose to buy cover for themselves or their families.

Harris says: 'The NHS doesn't provide everything people want. We see less sitting on the fence and more people coming to try private health cover.'

Among this trend away from the NHS is Alastair Taylor. Though finances are tight, he chooses to spend £12 a month on Tesco's Core health cover. The insurance, provided in partnership with Axa PPP, gives a basic level of cover for private treatment.

Alastair, 24, a post-graduate student of international criminal justice, lives with his partner Nicola Armstrong, 22, and their son Jacob, 22 months, in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire.

He says: 'On our recent visits, hospitals have seemed overstretched and sometimes short of staff. I have lived in Oman and so I am used to the private system. Everything happens when you want it and the hospitals are all so clean.'

Shaun Matisonn, chief executive of PruHealth, says: 'Patients today are sophisticated consumers of healthcare. They research the treatments they want, but cannot always get them through the NHS.'

So insurers are focusing their cover on delivering in areas where the health service is perceived to be letting people down, for example, providing cover for drugs and treatments that are not universally available on the NHS.

Western Provident Association (WPA) launched mycancerdrugs last year, a simple policy that pays for cancer drugs that some NHS hospitals refuse to fund.

Insurers have also had to be more imaginative to help keep cover affordable. Treatment costs continue to rise, driven by what is known as medical inflation. 'This tends to run at three times normal inflation,' says Harris.

This means insurers are giving buyers a growing range of options when it comes to keeping costs under control.