If you go private to see a consultant, do you have to go private throughout?

altyfc

Hi there

MIL needs a hip replacement and her appointment to see a consultant is not for another two months. She is quite a bit of pain and discomfort. We are suggesting to her that she goes private to at least see the consultant and thus remove most of the 2 month wait.

She is claiming that if you do that, you have to go privately for the op as well, but I am not sure that that is the case.

Can anyone confirm?

Thanks.

Nicki

She can't "go private" to bypass the NHS waiting list for surgery. She can see a consultant privately and receive painkillers and advice etc, and her GP may even agree to write an NHS prescription for those painkillers. But if she needs surgery and doesn't want to pay for this privately, then she needs to stay on the NHS list and wait until she sees the consultant in their NHS capacity, then wait until she gets to the top of whatever the waiting list is for the surgery.

It used to be the case that you could see an NHS consultant in their private capacity and then be referred for surgery on the NHS bypassing the waiting list but that hasn't been the case now for a very long time. More recently, it was the case that if you started to receive treatment privately for a condition, then you disentitled yourself from any further NHS treatment for that condition, but that has also been relaxed and isn't the case any more as a blanket ban (though it is possible some NHS trusts have their own rules on this still, I suppose)

daska

You can usually use the results, reports etc from a private consultant to feed into the NHS. We were left with no choice with DS2's problems as we were being blocked from accessing any support - one private report and he was placed on the urgent list, that was just over 12 months ago. My NHS GP referred me to a private consultant when I had health insurance so that I didn't have to wait so long - about 6 years ago. Neither of these were for surgery though. BUT I know that my BILs father was dipping in and out of NHS and Private for back surgery last year - he sped it along by going private for specific tests such as the MRIs that he needed.

Nicki

Yes, to clarify you can give your NHS doctor the results of any tests and investigations you have had done privately, and they will not then have to be repeated on the NHS. But a doctor cannot see you in their private capacity and then put you at the top of their NHS list for treatment. They have to see you in their NHS capacity to refer you for further NHS treatment.

Fire_Fox

Would be worth Googling for NHS policies
"An individual who has chosen to pay privately for an element of their care, such as a diagnostic test, is entitled to access other elements of care as NHS commissioned treatment, provided the patient meets NHS commissioning criteria for that treatment. However, at the point that the patient seeks to transfer back to NHS care, the patient should:
 be reassessed by the NHS clinician;
 not be given any preferential treatment by virtue of having accessed part of their care privately; and
 be subject to standard NHS waiting times."
http://www.wmsc.nhs.uk/uploaded_media/WM13%20policy%20-%20Defining%20the%20boundaries%20between%20NHS%20and%20private%20care.pdf

"An individual who is having treatment which would have been commissioned by the PCT, but who has commenced that treatment on a private basis can at any stage request to transfer to complete the treatment in the NHS. In this event, the patient will, as far as possible, be provided with the same treatment as the patient would have received if the patient had had NHS treatment throughout. This may mean the patient having to wait for the continuation of treatment, to ensure that he or she receives care on the same basis as any other NHS patient and is not advantaged by having begun their treatment on a private basis."
http://www.wirral.nhs.uk/document_uploads/Policies_Commissioning/PrivateandNHSCareGuidanceandPolicyV4April2010.pdf

shirlgirl2004

When my child was seen by a private consultant we had to pay hundreds of pounds a month for her drugs. The GP refused to provide them despite the request by the consultant and the fact that it would have been the same consultant and drug recommendation as if we'd been seen via the NHS. I would be very careful about using private healthcare again.

meer53

My brother recently had a knee replacement privately, then transferred to the NHS for his physio. He didn't have a problem.

Nicki

shirlgirl2004 wrote: »

When my child was seen by a private consultant we had to pay hundreds of pounds a month for her drugs. The GP refused to provide them despite the request by the consultant and the fact that it would have been the same consultant and drug recommendation as if we'd been seen via the NHS. I would be very careful about using private healthcare again.

This was the case up until a few years ago. I think it changed quite quickly after the coalition took over. How long ago did this happen with your daughter, as I am pretty sure it is no longer the case. My DD sees a private neurologist but her GP prescribes her medication and this situation has been going on for about 2 years.

devildog

I paid to see a consultant privately (mainly because it was the only way I thought I would get past GP to see one) The consultant who was recc by the GP,did both private and NHS work. The consultant recommended surgery and the surgey was paid for by the NHS (consultant's fee was £100) Best money ever spent

This was 7 1/2 years ago.