Benenden health.

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I have just been to my GP with recurrent bouts of nausea and pain in stomach and left side.
He said I needed an ultrasound and he would send a letter to the relevant department. He said the waiting time was possibly 3 months. As soon as I told him I was with Benenden he typed a letter for them. I rang Benenden. They gave me a choice of three places to ring for a quick appointment and said I could have up to £1800 for tests if needed. I have already received the same earlier in the year for a shoulder impingement scan and physio.
I can't fault them. I would willingly pay twice my monthly subscription.

I was in it for years and the only time I had a serious illness they were not able to help so I stopped it. Now use Simply Health mostly for dental work and they have been okay so far.

Used a few times. Been in for about 38 years. Has been worth it . Pay £20+/ I think for self and husband. Most recent was husbands rupture repaired in private hospital. You go through NHS and will probably be given a long wait and that is when they step in. You are given temporary BUPA membership ( well he was). Have recommended many times. Hope that helps.

I have this health plan but haven't needed to use it.

Several friends have made use of it for appointments and tests.

Not sure what they would cover in the way of procedures, but it does cover certain procedures, but at the very least it would get you way up the NHS list and could show if you need seen urgently.

Yes, doctor has to confirm the NHS waiting list but I think it only has to be longer than 3 months...or something like that.

I happy to keep paying it.

I'm not sure if they would offer treatment for an existing health problem.

What Benenden offers is a service for certain conditions if you cannot be seen quickly by the NHS. Even then you could have a scan at a particular hospital but you cannot have the necessary procedure carried out there so have to start over again at another hospital.

It can be very useful but it works in addition to the NHS not as a complete private healthcare system.

You would usually have to contact your GP first, then, if NHS waiting lists proved too long, approach Benenden.

I have found it very good value. For the first six months you can only talk to the doctor and get advice. After that if the NHS waiting time is too long you get quite a generous payment towards consultations and tests. (And more I can't remember offhand) I have had MRI scan ultrasound physio injections recently, all paid for. Its only £11 a month. I would willingly pay more. I expect it may go up. It doesn't cover everything that private insurance does but its better than depending on the NHS with the current long waiting times.

We are very happy with the treatment we have received from Benenden over the years and will continue with our membership.

Kircubbin you need to be aware there is an initial 6 month wait from first joining before being able to receive help from them. You would then need a referral letter from your GP to confirm nhs wait time before Benenden offers an appointment. They will only see you if the nhs wait is overlong.

Benenden isn’t private health care like Bupa but a charity first started to treat postal workers suffering with TB over 100 years ago. It was only available to local authority employees, but more recently was opened up to the general population.

We are members of Benenden Health, as we are retired civil servants, and have used it in the past with good results for dermatology, tinnitus and a laparostomy.

As a ex- civil servant, I have been a member for many years. Husband too. I used it once to have physiotherapy. I would have waited a long time for NHS treatment.

I am a member, it looks good value and gets good reviews. However have not had cause to use it, and hope to keep it that way!

I used them many years ago for a knee problem. Had to get a referral letter from my GP but was seen promptly and had an MRI scan within a few days. Had to pay upfront for both of these but the money was soon refunded; not sure if it still happens like that.
In the end I opted to go on the NHS waiting list for the operation but my experience of using Benenden was fine and we are still members.

I have known about them for sometime and they have awards for excellence dating to this year, but I must confess I cannot see quite how they can offer what they do on their monthly subscription charge.

I was in this when I worked for the Civil Service as it used to be for Civil Servants. I would look very carefully at it if I were you. They seem to have lots of exclusions as to what they will pay for. It may be very suitable for you. When DH had treatment for cancer they paid out for parking and petrol but that was all we received in all the years we were in it.