Private medical insurance

The latest news is that over 5 million are waiting for NHS treatment but NHS England report that they are making progress on non-urgent care..not sure what this 'care' would cover..

I think it's much more complicated than that Whitewavemark2.
The whole thing needs a really comprehensive overhaul and a clear eyed examination of the system and its users.

I opted for private surgery for my breast cancer lumpectomy, because I was so frightened that I wasn’t prepared to wait 6 weeks on the NHS (it was early stage).

So spent a night in a Nuffield, which carried out the operation within a week and day of my choosing. It was fine.

But I am a fervent believer in the NHS. 10 years of Tory short changing the NHS has got us where we are today.

When I required carpal tunnel surgery. I was sent a list of all the NHS facilities, none of whom could see me in less than a year. Then I noticed at the bottom of the list a private hospital, which had only a 3 week wait, so I opted for that.

I was fortunate that the hospital was only 24 miles away in the town we lived in before we moved to our current home and I knew exactly where the hospital was.

Other people would not have known the town or where the hospital was and some people could have been 50 miles from the it. You also needed your own transport to get there. I just got lucky and had NHS treatment in a private hospital. Mind you my operation was at 10.00am, under a light aneasthetic and I was on my way home before lunch time, so had no time to enjoy any luxury the hosptal had to offer.

I had experience of health care in Françe after being taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital, this was three years ago. The hospital care was dreadful, one of the main reasons we didn’t move there, the GP was good, but as in many rural areas, finding a GP was very difficult. We were lucky, our landlady introduced us to her family doctor of long standing.
I have money specifically put aside for any necessary medical procedures, for us and/or the immediate family, our GP surgery is excellent, but if it were pain or pay, we are very fortunate to have the choice.

A lot of NHS joint replacement patients here are sent to a private hospital which specialises in them. It's free. It's a good hospital which has everything required for knee and hip replacements. It's not local though and patients have to be bussed across country to it which put me off.

Even if you did have private health insurance you can't guarantee that the treatment that you get will be any better than on the NHS - apart from maybe jumping the queue for any elective treatment.
Locally there is a private hospital that only in the main, treats day cases - the consultant you see will most possibly be the same one that you would see in the NHS hospital.
If anything goes wrong, many private hospitals don't have the equipment or staff to deal with it.
I can think of more than one person that had been paying phi for years, and had surgery for knee replacements, a hip replacement and cataract removal - all of which were unsuccessful and had to be redone at an NHS hospital as emergencies!

and radiographers carry out NHS ct scans and mris in private hospitals too

trisher

I do wonder when surgeons use private hospitals to do NHS patient operations how anyone can be certain when they are doing private work. It may look as if they are because they are in a private hospital but the patient may be NHS.

I had friends who had hip replacements about the same time, one went private because the waiting list in her area was so long, the other was done on the NHS. Both done in same hospital by same surgeon. The only differenc was the cost.

Interesting points, trisher and Chewbacca Mon 09-Aug-21 10:52:24

DD had an operation performed at a Spire hospital, I had an orthopaedic operation at a private hospital, both under the NHS and several people I know have had operations carried out at a public/private facility eg cataract operations, hip and knee replacements.

So the surgeons were carrying out NHS work but in private hospitals.

The whole of the NHS structuring needs a re-think as the NHS today is just not the NHS that was envisaged 70+ years ago.

I have no problem at all with people having a choice to seek private treatment as long as the concept of healthcare free at the point of delivery for all continues.

To insist that no-one should be able to fund their own healthcare through insurance or savings is an anti-capitalist concept and even sensible Labour politicians would shy away from that doctrine.

Well thanks everyone for input ..given me lots to consider and then some

I think it was like that 'back in the day's but not any more, polarbear.

Correct trisher; I've had 3 arthroscopies on my knees. The first was done in the local NHS hospital, 2nd in the local Spire hospital, under the NHS and I was given a choice of where I wanted the 3rd so I chose the same Spire hospital because the waiting time was less than at the local hospital. Was this corruption of the surgeon's services? Was the surgeon, who performed all 3 operations under the NHS but at different sites, on the make as kali2 has insinuated or was he simply using the operating services that were at his disposal to his best ability and his patient's interests?

Kali2

No I am not- anyone who is in the NHS at a certain level knows this is so common and the list would be enormous.

I’m with you. Sorry all but she’s right. It might be better now but certainly back in the day it was part of life. Not patient related but I used to be asked to type long medico-legal documents by my boss. I never realised he was getting paid for that as private consultation. Once I found out I became “too busy” as did other secretaries and he stopped asking. Went on for some years though.

I do wonder when surgeons use private hospitals to do NHS patient operations how anyone can be certain when they are doing private work. It may look as if they are because they are in a private hospital but the patient may be NHS.

I had friends who had hip replacements about the same time, one went private because the waiting list in her area was so long, the other was done on the NHS. Both done in same hospital by same surgeon. The only differenc was the cost.

Yes, thanks mokryna. I spend an interesting half hour looking up the French system, especially as it’s so highly rated by the WHO.

Translating it to the UK it would mean someone on the basic State Pension wouldn’t have to pay for their health care.
You always get the problem of those just over the limit who end up worse off, but that’s true of all sorts of benefits and nobody’s found the answer to that one?

I was having a bit of a duvet day so I was interested to do a bit of exploring of other countries systems?

The French system has lots of failings also, for example there are doctor deserts however, I do feel it is better where I am near Paris, at the moment, than the NHS.

Mokryna that sounds so much better than NHS. I think we've become a bit brainwashed about its current state. There are other, potentially better ways, to run a health service than our current way.

Peasblossom. My friend doesn’t pay a penny, it’s the state which pays, no charity.

Another friend would like to return to England but is held back because of the health treatment is better here.

The health system works on the idea of prevention, therefore patients are given physiotherapy, scans, x-rays, etc. as soon as possible, as well as seeing specialists, to avoid, where possible, the illness becoming more serious.

Callistemon

Kali2

Chewbacca- I am not talking about 1 or 2 in one place. It is just part and parcel of the current system.

This is shocking. It needs to be reported.

You are certainly not talking about members of my family kali two of whom are consultants working tirelessly for the NHS.

As you have not produced proof of what you state to be part and parcel of the current system I can only take it that this is some fantasy in your head, for sure!

Quite a different story.

Front page of the i tomorrow. No surprise.

Sorry, that information was for Kali2

You could contact the Daily Mail, they'll be on to it in a flash.

Phone: +44 20 7938 6000

Chewbacca- I am not talking about 1 or 2 in one place. It is just part and parcel of the current system

That's a no then. You continue to make these allegations about NHS staff, despite the fact that they've worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic and you're still unable to provide any credible evidence. If a member of your family had worked as hard as 99.99% of NHS staff this last 18 months, you'd be outraged that some random person in a chat room was making such allegations without anything to back it up. Shame on you.

Kali2

Chewbacca- I am not talking about 1 or 2 in one place. It is just part and parcel of the current system.

This is shocking. It needs to be reported.