Direct to consultant - is it possible?

[Mrs P Pincher]

Mr P's mate is a pharmacist and he has told him that it is possible just to identify a consultant and go straight to him or her (privately) without a referral from your GP. This would be ideal for me as I have been referred to a number of consultants over the last five years re a long standing health problem that is now on the verge of being disabling but has still not been diagnosed. I believe this is because each consultant only looks at the symptom that relates to their speciality rather than looking at the whole picture.

However, this doesn't sound right to me. If this was possible wouldn't consultants be overwhelmed by disaffected patients who had bypassed their GPs?

I would appreciate any advice people can give on this.

Thanks

Mrs P P

[silvercar]

Private health insurance won't generally pay out on self referrals, hence most people need to go via their GP.

Also, unless you know a consultant, how do you know how to find the right one?

Some GPs get very huffy if you privately refer and can (or can threaten) to take you off their lists.

That said, if you have the money and are desperate to do it and know who to see, you phone the consultants secretary and ask if they will see you on a self referal - some will, some won't.

[mr_rush]

Hello

Going through your GP is usually a good idea - they know the local consultants, their area(s) of expertise and can guide you towards the correct consultant. Generally this is how insurance companies will pay.

However, if you are willing to pay out of your pocket then it is possible to see a Consultant directly. A word of caution, you seen to have complex medical needs,... do you know who you want to see?

I am yet to come across a GP who will take you off their books for self referring to a consultant.

Best wishes

[moneylover]

Your GP should be supportive about writing a letter, why not? I have a long standing problem that has never been diagnosed properly. I do a lot of research on the web and identify who I want to see (my GP says I know more than him about it) - inevitably a consultant looks at the problem from their 'angle' but if you see several in slightly different disciplines then you will have been looked at pretty thoroughly anyway. My problem is orthopaedic and I have also been referred from physios direct to consultants. And physios can order private scans tooeg Vista Diagnostics in London only charges circa £250 for an MRI
But the most important thing is to see the best consultants so its leg work first. The other thing is that sometimes when they are not sure they then talk to their various colleagues and some private hospitals will also have an evening where several colleagues get togther and say what they think about a particular patient.
There is a database www.specialistinfo.com (http://www.specialistinfo.com) that some libraries including mine have. Otherwise you can access for a very small charge - that gives names of consultants that specialise in the most specific of conditions. Also consider joining appropriate discussion lists they can be so helpful pointing you in some of the right directions