Just wanted to see if anyone has had any experiences with private healthcare in the UK. I've been tempted after a disastrous NHS experience this year. I've been looking at insurance quotes but I'm still a bit uncertain. To those that have had experiences with private healthcare, would you say it's been worth it? And do you have any advice about insurance?
New to Tattle Life? Click "Order Thread by Most Liked Posts" button below to get an idea of what the site is about:
I work for the NHS however both my husband and myself have private healthcare and it’s always been amazing. We are currently having our first baby and I’ve felt so cared for through the whole process. If you can afford it, without impacting your finances, I would definitely say it is worth it.
That’s great to know! I know a few people that have resorted to seeing a private GP during the pandemic after being fed up of not being seen by their regular NHS GPs and they’ve all been pleased with the service they received.
So you and your husband both have private health insurance? Is there a particular insurer you recommend?
Haven’t got much experience with this outside of the one experience I had where the doctor was very helpful but I found the NHS crossover in which they needed to share my record just awful and it meant that any follow ups with my private doctor just didn’t happen because I ended up getting seen in the NHS.
I’m parking myself here as a bit of placeholder as I would like to know more though! Especially the insurance side of things as I’m definitely considering signing up for whatever I can
I’m parking myself here as a bit of placeholder as I would like to know more though! Especially the insurance side of things as I’m definitely considering signing up for whatever I can
Probably depends what you're using it for. I've had several private GP appointments and one private smear done by a nurse. I find the GPs are more polite to you and kind of more willing to listen/help, which is probably because you're paying. I've been given antibiotics without a diagnostic test a couple of times which is quite weird really, I mean if you want a particular thing it seems to me you're quite likely to get it. The smear was horrendous, I wonder if private nurses aren't used to doing mundane tasks like smears. Took ages, painful, made me bleed so much that my test was inconclusive and I had to had another one (on the NHS this time) anyway. So all in all a bit hit and miss I suppose.
Despite me working for the NHS and being NHS to my core, the care with private is very good. We paid for a private consultation for my son; he’s had tonsillitis so many times and our GP wouldn’t refer. The appointment was 30 mins in which medical history was taken, my son examined and I can’t fault the care. It wasn’t rushed, consultant explained everything and actually listened.
Unfortunately it hasn’t sped up the process and my son is still waiting for his surgery date.
Unfortunately it hasn’t sped up the process and my son is still waiting for his surgery date.
I’m in the states but I would like to know, how much do these private visits cost everyone?
My brother sees a private dermatologist frequently, I know my dad pays £200 or £250 every visit. That’s about $260-340.
I was really considering getting private health insurance for a problem I had earlier this year that I needed referring for. It was quite urgent but the private hospital near me could only fit me in, in 6 weeks time! I went to my GP, they saw it was urgent and referred me and I got an appointment in less than 2 days time with a specialist.
so I have no idea really…
£200 for a consultation. A hip replacement is around £10k at the local private hospital
@nurseren Thank you.
Wow. These prices are something else. Singapore is a popular medical tourism destination… Never tried it myself.
Wow. These prices are something else. Singapore is a popular medical tourism destination… Never tried it myself.
People I've known who've used private health care have used it for specific things, like cataract operations. They use the NHS for most of their health care.
Well I did make this thread to enquire about people's experiences with private healthcare and about private health insurance. I don't really care whether people use the NHS or go private, it's not really the point and doesn't answer any of my questions.
Real people reply to posts in the advice thread on here @a musician . They don't follow some imaginary script that you seem to expect.
I can’t imagine you can just go and buy a new hip mind you
NHS waiting lists for surgery is really long at the moment as everything got placed on hold due to Covid, so private are mopping up the costs.My sons surgery has been quoted £4.5k and I simply don’t have that.
That’s exactly what it is. People will travel to other countries to get a discount on their major surgeries. I first learned about this route while doing personal research on insurance in my country, which is doled out by employers. Companies will incentivize their employees to go abroad because the cost savings are enormous. Singapore, three years ago when I was doing my research, had a reputation for being the cream of the crop.I can’t imagine you can just go and buy a new hip mind you
My sons surgery has been quoted £4.5k and I simply don’t have that.
That’s so interesting, yet scary!
I'm not expecting an "imaginary script"! But I'd normally expect some actual advice which other uses have actually provided me with. If you can't really give me any advice because you haven't had any experience with private healthcare then I'm not sure why you reply. Anyway, it's a misunderstanding and if that's just how it works on Tattle then I accept it. Let's move forward from this.
In response to your original question; I’m still undecided whether I’d go private again. I mean, the hospital was lovely, consultant had time to gain a solid history about me and my son and his condition, and we had a plan. However we are no further with the surgery. My son has a heart condition and requires an paeds ITU bed as he will be kept vented for a day or two, and private won’t do this in our area so we are back under the NHS. I truly believe it all depends on what you need and want.
We are with Bupa. We’ve only used it a few times but we’ve never had any trouble. My husband broke his ankle a few years ago and it was so easy. They didn’t question anything and he got the care he needed without question. It doesn’t cover pregnancy though so that’s about £15-£20k on top but for the care we’ve received I would wholeheartedly say it’s been worth every penny.
I’m fortunate enough to have it through work and am so grateful for it. I have used it several times over the years and found the care to be excellent, and also they seem to run clinics outside of work hours too which makes them far more accessible.
Like someone said upthread, if you can afford it then I would recommend it.
Like someone said upthread, if you can afford it then I would recommend it.