Private medical insurance

I have doctors in the family.

They are contracted to the NHS for the hours specified on their contracts. Like Callistemon says they do more because they don’t walk out halfway through a consultation or operation.

It’s totally wrong for Kali to say they work privately whilst being paid for the NHS. What hospital would allow that!

Awful how people will make things up and how easily total falsehoods get spread and repeated.

But then thats politics isn’t it?

They are using NHS facilities though, aren't they? And they were trained by the NHS?

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but I don't care if the consultants work for nothing for the NHS. If there is a private system then it takes resources from the NHS, it allows people to jump the queue and it normalises the fact that people who are a bit better off should be able to get better health care than those who are hard up.

Its immoral.

It’s totally wrong for Kali to say they work privately whilst being paid for the NHS. What hospital would allow that!

I've just read this:
and a huge proportion work for both NHS and the Private Sector- largely leaving the NHS work to Juniors, and spending much more time and effort on much more lucrative private work (still getting paid by NHS mind)

That is quite some allegation that they are doing private work n NHS time and I wonder if you have evidence for that, please, Kali2?

As far as our experiences go, we have always seen an NHS Consultant and rarely junior doctors unless as inpatients.

Incidentally, I don't agree with qualified and experienced doctors being termed Junior Doctors as if they are under-qualified; it covers those who are newly qualified in foundation phase through to experienced registrars.
It was changed a few years ago.

Alegrias1

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but I don't care if the consultants work for nothing for the NHS. If there is a private system then it takes resources from the NHS, it allows people to jump the queue and it normalises the fact that people who are a bit better off should be able to get better health care than those who are hard up.

Its immoral.

Bt it doesn't.

I had private medical treatment following my brain injury, and I have actually been castigated for it in Gransnet. However that’s another story. It wasn’t an NHS hospital, it wasn’t using NHS facilities and it wasn’t impacting any waiting lists.

Health insurance was part of my employment package, so not sure what it costs. They won’t usually cover you for existing conditions and they don’t generally carry on paying long term for chronic conditions. Check the details very carefully before going ahead.

Which bit Call?

It's how I feel and I won't change. No-one should be entitled to get better healthcare just because they are better off. It's a mystery to me why anyone thinks it's defensible.

A lot of firms offer private medical insurance and I'm glad you were able to make use of it Blossoming.

I'm shocked that you were castigated on here for doing so.

Alegrias1

Which bit Call?

It's how I feel and I won't change. No-one should be entitled to get better healthcare just because they are better off. It's a mystery to me why anyone thinks it's defensible.

It doesnt take resources from the NHS.

Consultants work their contracted hours.
What other resources are you thinking of?

I believe both systems can work side by side and there is often overlap as there is here when NHS patients are treated cross-border at a private facility.

In the firm I worked for top management had private medical insurance as a perk. We others could join the club, I think I paid around £80 a month in my 50s.

We'll just have t agree to disagree, Alerias.

I think we need to pay more for the NHS.

Sorry, sp..

I won't castigate you Blossoming, it's not my place. But I will ask you to consider what would have happened you hadn't had that private insurance, but needed that care. If you'd been someone on minimum wage who had no option but to use the NHS. Maybe you wouldn't have made such a good recovery. How is that fair?

We used to have private insurance via dh’s job. It was a toss up after he retired, whether to go on paying for it, but we decided to pay as you go, if needed for minor things, reasoning that for anything really serious we’d be OK with the NHS. (This was pre Covid of course.).

Dh has done that several times for relatively minor procedures.

Interestingly, we both saw doctors at the same time for ‘things’ on our faces that could have been malignant - we’d spent many years in very hot climates so it was entirely on the cards.

I was referred by our GP to a specialist at the local NHS hospital within 10 days.
Dh saw exactly the same specialist at a local private hospital, but about a week later!
(Neither ‘thing’ was malignant, thank goodness.)

Everyone working for the company had private medical insurance, we travelled a lot and frequently worked outside of the UK. It included travel insurance and if you fell ill while working away from home it covered the cost of treatment and getting you back home. Not sure how that impacts the NHS but no doubt someone will be along to put me right!

Alegrias1

I won't castigate you Blossoming, it's not my place. But I will ask you to consider what would have happened you hadn't had that private insurance, but needed that care. If you'd been someone on minimum wage who had no option but to use the NHS. Maybe you wouldn't have made such a good recovery. How is that fair?

You have no clue how good, bad or otherwise my recovery has been. You don’t know what happened, or where I was when it happened, or indeed anything at all about it. Nice try, but I won’t be made to feel guilty for being alive.

Don't a lot of private hospitals also offer treatments that would not be available on the NHS for whatever reason like infertility, cosmetic surgery, gender reassignment.

a couple of years ago i had bowel cancer, i had an appointment and was still sitting there nearly 2 hours later, the nurse said he is running late as he has to see a private patient, when i got to see him i said why was he seeing private patients on nhs time, i had been sitting on the toilet and throwing up in a basin most of the night, but i still got there. i have no problem with health insurance but depending on what is wrong with you, the chances are you will be seen at an nhs hospital with nhs doctors, you will pay for a private room and a better menu, all it comes down to is you are paying for a shorter queue.

It wasn't my intention to criticise you or make any assumptions at all about your health or your situation Blossoming.

But I won't apologise for what I said. People who have benefited from private healthcare in this country are in a privileged position that not everybody can benefit from.

My experience has been that private patients are seen only once NHS work is done. Neither of us has used private medecine for anything major, but our appointments have often on Saturdays or in the evening.

DD had a telephone consultation with a specialist during lockdown. This followed the NHS nearly killing her through incompetence. The phone call was at 20.00 hours.

Take a look at Benenden insurance. It is not fully comprehensive and will not cover treatment for ongoing conditions. It will cover a consultation with tests and it will cover treatment that will not be ongoing. You have to be a member for 6 months before applying for help. They will for example cover a consultation, tests, and a gall bladder operation or hernia operation.
They covered me for two different consultant appointments with an MRI Scan, an overnight sleep test. But will not cover the Cpap machine because it is ongoing and for that part I’m with the NHS. It saved me from waiting 2 years in the NHS to see the consultant. And saved the NHS the cost of my consultant appointments and the cost of the MRI and sleep test.
All for £11 per month.

It doesn't take resources from the NHS.

Consultants work their contracted hours.
What other resources are you thinking of?

Imagine you need a procedure Call; the hospital tell you that they can do 10 a week and there are 40 people ahead of you so the waiting time is 4 weeks. Or, Dr Smith at St Moneybags Infirmary down the road can do it; they have capacity for 10 a week too, but since you have to pay, the waiting list there is just 10 people so you can have your procedure in just a week! Hooray!

So clearly there is capacity to do 20 a week. But those with the means - personal or through their employer - can jump the queue. If the 20 a week capacity was available in the NHS, people in general would be seen quicker.

Now I'm sure someone will come along and tell me that's not how it works, the capacity wouldn't be there if it wasn't for private money. Well its only that way because we allow it to be, because we think that's how it should work.

I think we should pay more for the NHS too Call, whether through more tax, or a different funding structure, I don't know. But I know that being able to jump the queue and divert resources from people who are not as well off as you is no way to run a Health Service.

M0nica

My experience has been that private patients are seen only once NHS work is done. Neither of us has used private medecine for anything major, but our appointments have often on Saturdays or in the evening.

DD had a telephone consultation with a specialist during lockdown. This followed the NHS nearly killing her through incompetence. The phone call was at 20.00 hours.

In other words, once the plebs have been seen to and the real doctors have time to to the job properly.

I have no patience with it, sorry.

I don’t much care what anyone else thinks, including Alegrias1, if I have a condition that the NHS won’t fix and I can afford it, I will go private.
As a bonus someone else gets my place in the NHS queue

Entirely your prerogative Katie59. Becuase that's what we've let it come to.

Keep telling yourself someone else will benefit from your altruism.

This is the hill I'll die on.