Pretty much. The only time I've used a private consultant is to get onto the waiting list sooner.
Private Health Care?
- Thread starter Gustov
- Start date
Pretty much. The only time I've used a private consultant is to get onto the waiting list sooner.
Request to see a different doc, explain to them that nothing has helped. You really need to explain the situation. Private healthcare is very expensive, and like Fox said they might not find anything.
Yes you will feel more important when your having your consultation, but thats because your paying him to sit their.
NHS doctors have to see a certain about of patients within the day. You just need to focus the doctor onto your problems.
An initial consultation will likely cost between £150 and £200, and each follow-up consultation around £100. Even basic blood tests will be £75-£100. Any x-rays or ultrasound £200-£500+. MRI scans £500-£1000, and any surgical or investigative procedure requiring anaesthetic will be a minimum £1000.
Also, don't forget that any prescriptions which the consultant issues will be private ones for which you will be charged full retail prices for your medication (unless you have a very accommodating GP like ours who will issue you an NHS presription as a 'replacement').
As stated by others, the consultant specialists will be the same as you would see under the NHS (although under the NHS you may not actually get to see the real specialist, but a more junior one of their team). So, going private gets you seen much more quickly, and you are guaranteed to get the full attention of the 'head honcho'.
Also, don't forget that any prescriptions which the consultant issues will be private ones for which you will be charged full retail prices for your medication (unless you have a very accommodating GP like ours who will issue you an NHS presription as a 'replacement').
As stated by others, the consultant specialists will be the same as you would see under the NHS (although under the NHS you may not actually get to see the real specialist, but a more junior one of their team). So, going private gets you seen much more quickly, and you are guaranteed to get the full attention of the 'head honcho'.
I have private healthcare with my job and it is no different, believe me. Just faster.
Albeit I very very rarely need to use it, but nevertheless.
Without knowing what you think you have I can offer no advice other than what has already been written. However, I would say this - any treatment on the NHS can be a be very variable. What you may want to consider is explaining to your GP that due to work you would find it more convenient to be seen at your local big city. This way you will most likely get seen at a teaching hospital where you are far more likely to get to see someone who knows their onions. It will be far cheaper to do that journey than go private. You will not get better care privately generally the actual care will be poorer but quicker and in nicer surroundings. If you are already been seen there then well your options are somewhat limited but if not it's worth a try.
Edit: TBH I'd advise anyone to do this - no one bats an eyelid at travelling for a private consultation but then expects the NHS to have experts on highly specific things close to them.
Edit: TBH I'd advise anyone to do this - no one bats an eyelid at travelling for a private consultation but then expects the NHS to have experts on highly specific things close to them.
I went to a private hospital when I was diagnosed with arthritis to get a second opinion and see what treatment they offered. I got a huge steroid injection into my knee which sorted out the issue (at least in that joint) straight away and haven't had any problems since. The NHS weren't willing to inject the knee. I paid £210 for a 30 minute consultation and a injection. I just phoned up the private hospital and made an appointment, was seen within a few days.
My old man needed a prescription for cancer drugs, phoned up a private doctor. Got an appointment 2 hours after phoning, paid £40 for the appointment and then a few hundred for the drugs.
My old man needed a prescription for cancer drugs, phoned up a private doctor. Got an appointment 2 hours after phoning, paid £40 for the appointment and then a few hundred for the drugs.
This to be honest, my local hospital is basically rubbish, incapable of even moving the results of test from one side of the building to another.
I had to go 3 times for the same tests because they kept loosing the results.
After the 3rd time, when they actually managed to get the results to the specialist and he wanted to a set of tests I had ALREADY done, the results of which had lead me to have to take the other tests three times, I told them they were ******* useless and asked my GP to refere me to Lincoln instead where I was tested and diagnosed and treated the first time, in good time.
A few points for the OP about private healthcare:
* You might need a referral from your GP to see a consultant privately.
* As others have said, the consultants working privately are NHS consultants working in their own time and you will see the "main man", rather than the subordinate that you might see on the NHS.
* The big benefit to private treatment is being able to shortcut the waiting list and the general appearance of the hospital - eg you get private rooms, not open wards.
* NHS patients may be able to use private hospitals through the Choose and Book system if any of the local private hospitals are contracted for NHS work - though typically, NHS patients don't get all the (non medical) facilities that are available to private patients.
* If you need specialised tests / (some) xrays / etc, a private consultant might send you to a NHS hospital for them if the facilities aren't available in the private hospital.
* If you were to take out private health insurance, it might well exclude treatment of existing conditions. As you have already seen your GP about the matter, that would exclude treatment for it.
* You might need a referral from your GP to see a consultant privately.
* As others have said, the consultants working privately are NHS consultants working in their own time and you will see the "main man", rather than the subordinate that you might see on the NHS.
* The big benefit to private treatment is being able to shortcut the waiting list and the general appearance of the hospital - eg you get private rooms, not open wards.
* NHS patients may be able to use private hospitals through the Choose and Book system if any of the local private hospitals are contracted for NHS work - though typically, NHS patients don't get all the (non medical) facilities that are available to private patients.
* If you need specialised tests / (some) xrays / etc, a private consultant might send you to a NHS hospital for them if the facilities aren't available in the private hospital.
* If you were to take out private health insurance, it might well exclude treatment of existing conditions. As you have already seen your GP about the matter, that would exclude treatment for it.
If you wish to see a private consultant, do some homework first about who is good in the field. If you just ask your G.P. for a referral to who they recommend, you may get a top guy, or you get referred to the one who gives the best kickbacks... Heard it happens.
I don't know about your problem but I have crohns disease, the specialist has a tuesday clinic for the NHS and when I googled his name I found out he also does private work for a hospital in the city.
So my point is I am seeing the same specialists, the only difference is you would be seen more regularly going private.
So my point is I am seeing the same specialists, the only difference is you would be seen more regularly going private.
Caporegime
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[TW]Fox;17686936 said:
This is untrue, while a LOT of private doctors still work in the NHS, not even close to all NHS doctors do private work. While theres utterly no certainty you will see a GOOD private doctor, you can find one and choose a specific guy who is recommended by everyone, you don't get that level of choice in who you see, and you are in no way guarenteed to see a consultant in the NHS, as with most things its like IT support, in the NHS you see a tier 1 guy, who knows nothing but has a list of general questions, then you see a tier 2 guy, then tier 3, then you ask to speak to a manager and send a letter to the CEO to finally get some action.
Saying it will cost more than £500 is simply not possible to say, a 30min appointment with a BUPA GP runs around £85 or £125 or something, I forget which, going straight to a specialist might cost more, not necessarily. You can be diagnosed with something than needs a £50k surgery and recovery, or £5 monthly perscription diagnosed almost instantly.
[TW]Fox;17686995 said:
No, again you won't, as I said, in no way at all do all NHS consultants work privately and in no way will you always see a top end consultant by going through the NHS.
Its well worth a call to a Bupa type helpline, you can ask them questions suggest what the problem is, what other doctors have diagnosed and who they recommend in the area and ask about how much a consultation would be.
Remember, you can get a consultation from someone YOU CHOOSE, and use their advice, go back to the NHS and tell the doctors what they said.
Also remember you can normally arrange if you find someone you like privately, to get treatment/extra testing done on the NHS by the private doctor talking to your GP about a referal, or your existing NHS doctor.
AS with most things internetty, you can probably find a medical forum, advice, private doctor listings and find whose recommended for the general area your problem is in.
Often private consultations are a good way of fast tracking your diagnosis/treatment.
For those who think Labour have "fixed" the NHS, its laughable, the OP's general problem seems to be the time its taking to get a diagnosis. YOu get a referal which is now longer than ever(referals used to be quick but waiting lists for surgerys sucked, not referals are almost always miles long with shorter waiting lists at the other end, if you needed surgery it makes no difference, if you had something easily diagnosed it takes LONGER now in a majority of cases.
But I've also had this issue where you get your referals, its to a useless doc who misdiagnoses you, but you then need another referal and another long wait to see someone else.
At the end of the day, its better to be healthy quickly and down some money, then spend months on end, dragging into years, unhealthy waiting for the right doctor to give you free treatment that works.
Also, NHS doctors get paid no matter what, private doctors DO like your credit cards, they have an incentive to do a good job, NHS doctors don't anymore.
Pretty much that - my Mum saw the same consultant as me and I was private via work while she was on NHS. She saw him at a NHS hospital, I saw him at the nearest private one...
The only difference is time, nicer facilities and what treatment they can justify under the NHS compared to what my medical insurance covered and the red tape needed to organise it...
I very much doubt £500 will cover anything that the NHS is having difficulty in diagnosing privately - my treatment (shoulder surgery after a couple of MRIs) was easily over £5000...
ps3ud0
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They do not have access to better diagnostic equipment in fact in the vast majority of cases if the test are in ny way complicated they get sent to your local NHS lab. They do however get donw faster as they have to pay for them.
I've left in the factual bits
The majority of private doctors still work for the NHS in some way shape or form. A majority of NHS doctors do private work. As for who you will see when you turn up largely depends on what you're in for. If you’re going to see a Urologist you'll probably see a consultant, if you’re going to see an Ophthalmologist your likely to see a SHO (still a very highly skilled and qualified doctor) as a consultant just can’t cope with the volume of patients, if you’re not happy with this you can ask to see the senior consultant and you will see them.
As for your comments about current NHS treatment now and how it has been for the last 20 years you quite clearly haven't got a clue. Treatment now is much better than it ever has been, patients are being referred and treated in 18 weeks rather than 18 months. Hopefully it will get better still under the current government but labour did a hell of a lot to improve it.
In all the time i've been working for the NHS the last 10 have seen the biggest improvements, bar the national programme for IT which is total ****.