Private MRI scans - anyone had one?

Primrose53

My old school friend paid for a private MRI because her GP said “we don’t need to go down that route” when she asked for one. She had had dreadful pains in her neck and arms. She could not move her arms at all. They just would not listen to her. She even burnt her arms with hot water bottles trying to alleviate the pain.
Her husband booked it for a Sunday afternoon and by the next day she sadly had a diagnosis of cancer in her spine, neck and shoulders. She passed away less than 3 months later.
The GP is still working and as arrogant as ever.

We have one like that here - I know of 2 people who have died from being misdiagnosed by the same man - but nobody is doing anything about it!

The first, he kept doing odd things, memory went was seeing the GP over and over. Finally after 2 years he was sent for a scan brain tumour. The second had a cough for 18 months - kept going to GP but often saw the cheaper staff - ie pharmacist and nurse prescriber. Loads of different anti-biotics. Eventually this GP huffed and puffed and sent her for an x-ray - lung cancer, never smoked. Died on 16th December ... wouldn't mind but the surgery keeps on posting adverts like "if you get a change in bowel symptoms/have a cough that goes on for more than 6 weeks etc - come and see us at the surgery", yet you can't get an appointment! Thankfully I am not with this shower and stayed with my previous rural practice when I moved. That practice was the 13th best in the UK, but sadly now has to be grouped with this other one as things changed with the new IHB's I will watch their ratings spiral down in disgust ...

Doodledog

The two things are totally different. Of course people can spend their money on holidays, gin or sausages if that’s what they want to do - none of those things impacts on anyone else. Private medical treatment in NHS hospitals does affect others though. Unless you see a privately trained doctor in a privately funded clinic with privately owned equipment, and then are referred to another privately trained doctor in a private hospital then you are taking the place of someone on the NHS, who may be more seriously ill than you are.

I don’t necessarily blame people for doing so, as the Tories have ravaged the NHS and health is important, but at least be honest about it? It’s not like travelling business class - it is queue jumping.

I don't believe the two things to be totally different at all.

We pay privately for tests and scans if we must wait too long, they own their own non-NHS equipment. We determine timeliness to the wait. In the instances we paid privately the wait was always too long or there were other (unreasonable) reasons why care (say TKR) was not quickly available.

Not queue jumping, imo, to leave and go elsewhere.

I have yet to have private treatment in an NHS hospital. Private patients, which are in NHS hospitals, pay high day rates, which adds to the hospital's income.

When my late husband started being ill his GP kept giving him antibiotics for chest infections. This went on for months so we told the GP we wanted to go private. The GP told us it wasn't that serious and the antibiotics would clear it up but we stood our corner. He wrote a letter to a specialist and my late husband was seen the following week. He had a scan and found out that he had a chronic illness which he sadly later died from a few years later.

I told my husband that whatever it cost to go for private treatment we would pay it, even sell the house to pay for it but once he saw the specialist, and they found out what was wrong with him he was then transferred to a specialist
for treatment on the NHS, so it cost us only £100 to see a private specialist to get the ball rolling.

What about the Nuffield? You can go direct I believe.
Also you could always, in the first instance, approach a Private GP rather than a NHS GP and the appointment would be far sooner. There are more and more private GP practices about these days. Most doctors seem to have had some time working in a NHS GP surgery before moving to private practice for whatever reason - maybe as they prefer to give more time to the patient to discuss things like MRIs etc We could not afford it as a routine thing, but recently had to take our daughter to see a private GP as there were no local NHS GP appointments available in time.

The two things are totally different. Of course people can spend their money on holidays, gin or sausages if that’s what they want to do - none of those things impacts on anyone else. Private medical treatment in NHS hospitals does affect others though. Unless you see a privately trained doctor in a privately funded clinic with privately owned equipment, and then are referred to another privately trained doctor in a private hospital then you are taking the place of someone on the NHS, who may be more seriously ill than you are.

I don’t necessarily blame people for doing so, as the Tories have ravaged the NHS and health is important, but at least be honest about it? It’s not like travelling business class - it is queue jumping.

Norah
Totally agree But on some post there is a lot of criticism for people using private medicine as it is reckoned it has a negative impact on the NHS
There is never any criticism how folks spend their own money on anything else

I had a painkilling injection, which did involve an MRI scan. It cost £450.00 and it did NOT work.

Gwyllt

It’s nice that this post has attracted very little in the way of criticism of people who are able to take responsibility for their own health care
I did not read any of the posts referring to cruising but I can’t imagine anyone was criticised for spending their money on a holiday

Indeed.

Nobody criticised for hols, cruises, or assuming responsibility for their own health - we do take responsibility of our health and that usually entails private hospital, insurance, and paying.

Our choice.

I had a painkilling injection, which did involve an MRI scan. It cost £450.00 and it did NOT work

Why shouldn't doctors work in the private and state sector. They are all self employed and contract with the NHS with how many sessions they will work. There are doctors who are fulltime employees in the NHS and some who work only in the private sector.

Most doctors who are self employed and work sessions in the NHS usually work hours well in excess of their contract hours, and anyone who has used private health will know that appointments are often at weekends and in the evenings and we have ad last minute cancellations when they were unable to make it because of the demands of their NHS work.

There are some people on GN who seem to assume that anyone, like hospital consultants, who work in the public and private sector, will always put their private work first. They never offer any evidence for this, and I have never seen it suggested by any responsible reearch body.

I think this reflects more on their priorities than that of doctors and others.

It’s nice that this post has attracted very little in the way of criticism of people who are able to take responsibility for their own health care
I did not read any of the posts referring to cruising but I can’t imagine anyone was criticised for spending their money on a holiday

As this is another thread from the past I wonder how OPs friend got on.

I wish GN had a forum especially for answers to questions. A " what happened in the end" forum.

woodenspoon

Jaxjacky

Reported

Why report the vitalscan post when other posters are asking for help, mentioning vitalscan and also Benenden. Petty springs to mind. People want help, are asking for advice.

Because adverts are supposed to cleared by admin.

Jaxjacky

Reported

Why report the vitalscan post when other posters are asking for help, mentioning vitalscan and also Benenden. Petty springs to mind. People want help, are asking for advice.

DH had one done at his local BUPA hospital after asking for a referral to a consultant there.

Sawsage2

I'm 71 and claustrophobic so couldn't get in one, even though I believe I need one (probably mnd which runs in the family). I won't go to doctors/hospitals either.

Just to say that I was able to have a scan, even though I too am claustrophobic, because I knew I would be holding onto a 'panic button' to use if it became too difficult for me.
I hope this helps?

Reported

There are private clinics that will allow you to self refer for an MRI scan. The clinical information is reviewed by the team and if the scan is justified, then the most appropriate protocol is chosen. For example, at Vitalscan in Milton Keynes, the scan is performed on a state of the art scanner and the scan reported by a specialist radiologists. And their pricing is fixed, so no hidden charges. You can get more information at www.vitalscan.health

One of our private hospitals, near here, does them.

I had to see their consultant, and he agreed for me to have one. They didn't need a GP referral.

The consultation cost £150, and the scan cost £350. That was for my knee.

kittylester

*icanhandthemback*, dentists haven't been banned from doing both NHS and private work.

No but their payments have been cut so low that there is no advantage to NHS work. It has a similar effect.

icanhandthemback, dentists haven't been banned from doing both NHS and private work.

I’m claustrophobic and thinking of having a “ seated” mri scan in London as GP won’t refer me. It’s about £800 now I think.

silverlining48

But aren’t the doctors at private clinics mostly also working in the nhs? I know they have contracts between the two sectors so they can’t be in Two places at once and the more time they spend in the private sector slipping in private patients ‘ I can see you in a fortnight’ means the rest of us on NHS are put on an ever increasing waiting list of millions get ‘See you in a year or two’.

Yes and maybe that should stop. However, I suspect that Dr's who were banned from working from both would do as Dentists have done and just go private so the NHS would suffer even more.

kittylester I have had an MRI of my spine with Vista , as the NHS was a 13 week wait and I was in so much pain , the osteopath recommended one . I am fortunate enough to be able to afford it. The service was excellent and a very quick turn around with results back at GP who then did a referral and I was seen by a consultant within 3 months .I think it was about £200.