Research has found that women make up just 6% of surgeons working in the UK's private healthcare sector. This proportion is significantly lower compared to the NHS, where women represent 16.9% of surgeons. The study looked at the five largest private healthcare providers in England: Circle Health Group, HCA Healthcare UK, Nuffield Health, Ramsay Health Care and Spire Healthcare. Out of a total of 7,934 surgeons in the private sector, only 488 were women. The research also revealed that in some specialties, there are more male surgeons with the name David working in the private sector than the total number of female surgeons. The findings were published in the Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons in England. The research points to the need to address the gender imbalance in the private health sector workforce.