Recommendations on Private Health Insurance given NHS waits....

badmemory

There comes a time too when you wonder - shall I pay privately because fortunately I can or should I stay not being able to walk across the room for 2 yrs waiting for an op.  But being off work sick for 2 yrs all savings gone or get it done whilst fitter in myself & savings gone.  As most employers cast you adrift once your 6 months sick pay is done, there isn't really a choice.  Also the longer you leave it the more serious the op is going to be.  I don't like it but I think most of us would (have to) make the same choice.

IAMIAM

badmemory said:

There comes a time too when you wonder - shall I pay privately because fortunately I can or should I stay not being able to walk across the room for 2 yrs waiting for an op.  But being off work sick for 2 yrs all savings gone or get it done whilst fitter in myself & savings gone.  As most employers cast you adrift once your 6 months sick pay is done, there isn't really a choice.  Also the longer you leave it the more serious the op is going to be.  I don't like it but I think most of us would (have to) make the same choice.

This is exactly it. I have life insurance and pemanent health insurance, and a recent health scare which is now resolved. However, it took 6 months to sort on NHS. I am now scouring ActiveQuote and looking to take out Bupa Full Cover for £650 a year commencing soon. Seems we have no choice, as I don't want a repeat of this situation. I just don't know whether Moraitorium or Full Medical History is the better option. I am presuming Moratorium in my case, I hope I don't need it for a long time, but do wonder what the £650 will escalate to if I ether put in a claim, don't put in a claim or just through natural ageism....

[Deleted User]

Sandtree said:

[Deleted User] said:

Keep in mind that if your get private care for something, the NHS won't treat it. Talk to the NHS staff first.

The NHS cannot refuse to treat you just because you've had private care

MalMonroe said:

Last year, blood tests taken at my GPs surgery indicated that I was severely anaemic and the GP I saw immediately referred me for investigative tests. By email, not letter. I was contacted by the hospital one week later and offered appointments at the hospital for the following week for two endoscopies. The doctor was concerned that the results may be an early indication of cancer (thankfully they weren't, it was just plain old anaemia) and she acted so quickly it made my head spin. 

Glad you had a positive experience, given what they suspect it was however probably helped your case be prioritised. 

As a balancing view our GP sent the referral email to BUPA on the Wednesday on Thursday I got a call from the consultant's PA being very apologetic that they couldn't fit me in until Tuesday but that they'd see me in the morning, based on the notes they's booked in an MRI for after the consultant and I'd have a second appoint after lunch to get the results of the MRI. On the day they said physio would also be required so they booked that for after the second consultant's appointment.

MalMonroe said:

In my opinion, and if my own experience is anything to go by, you won't get a better service than the NHS. Most private consultants work for the NHS as well and many of them cannot see patients any quicker than the NHS anyway. 

Absolutely the vast majority do both but they will work set hours with each and the number of patients per hour worked on the NHS will be massively higher than on their private work hence long waits for NHS and short/no waits for private. 

If you get private treatment you can't just switch back and forth. The NHS can and will refuse to treat you. At best you will have to go to the back of the queue.

As it should be, otherwise people would jump the queue by getting things like tests done privately, or start treatment and then expect the NHS to continue it.

silvercar

[Deleted User] said:

Sandtree said:

[Deleted User] said:

Keep in mind that if your get private care for something, the NHS won't treat it. Talk to the NHS staff first.

The NHS cannot refuse to treat you just because you've had private care

MalMonroe said:

Last year, blood tests taken at my GPs surgery indicated that I was severely anaemic and the GP I saw immediately referred me for investigative tests. By email, not letter. I was contacted by the hospital one week later and offered appointments at the hospital for the following week for two endoscopies. The doctor was concerned that the results may be an early indication of cancer (thankfully they weren't, it was just plain old anaemia) and she acted so quickly it made my head spin. 

Glad you had a positive experience, given what they suspect it was however probably helped your case be prioritised. 

As a balancing view our GP sent the referral email to BUPA on the Wednesday on Thursday I got a call from the consultant's PA being very apologetic that they couldn't fit me in until Tuesday but that they'd see me in the morning, based on the notes they's booked in an MRI for after the consultant and I'd have a second appoint after lunch to get the results of the MRI. On the day they said physio would also be required so they booked that for after the second consultant's appointment.

MalMonroe said:

In my opinion, and if my own experience is anything to go by, you won't get a better service than the NHS. Most private consultants work for the NHS as well and many of them cannot see patients any quicker than the NHS anyway. 

Absolutely the vast majority do both but they will work set hours with each and the number of patients per hour worked on the NHS will be massively higher than on their private work hence long waits for NHS and short/no waits for private. 

If you get private treatment you can't just switch back and forth. The NHS can and will refuse to treat you. At best you will have to go to the back of the queue.

As it should be, otherwise people would jump the queue by getting things like tests done privately, or start treatment and then expect the NHS to continue it.

That is simplistic and not always true. If you are in an NHS queue to be seen for tests to identify the cause of some pain, you would wait as long as it takes for an appointment on the NHS. If you went private you would see a consultant and have tests quickly. If those tests diagnosed something sinister, you could elect to go to the NHS for treatment. You would then be in the category of having a known tumour/ cancer/ whatever and be seen quickly on the NHS. In fact, the consultant would immediately book you in to his NHS surgery list. Of course, in the majority of cases the problem would be non urgent and you would continue privately or wait for the NHS; but at least then you would know it was nothing sinister.