Private healthcare gives you fast treatment without the NHS waiting list. However, if you are paying for private treatment, you may not have the funds for the entire treatment or your health insurance may not cover it. Here’s how mixing NHS and private treatment works.
How does private treatment work?
You can access private care for a variety of reasons. If you are facing a long wait for your first NHS appointment or diagnosis, private advice and tests could get you diagnosed much quicker. You can also opt for private surgery, which private hospitals offer on a self-pay basis.
Alternatively, if you have private health insurance, it may privately fund treatment and may cover surgery and other outpatient therapies, depending on your policy.
As a private client, you can contact the private hospital for an appointment and treatment offer before proceeding.
When could I be returned to NHS treatment after private treatment?
You may need to return to the NHS after receiving private care for many reasons. Here are some of the most common.
If you do not want to continue with private treatment after diagnosis
Choosing to pay privately for consultant appointments and diagnostic tests can help you get a quick diagnosis, which can benefit patients with certain types of cancer or if you live with constant pain but face long waits for treatment.
Once you have a diagnosis, your consultant can advise you on a treatment plan and offer you further private treatment. If the offer exceeds your means, your consultant may refer you to an NHS hospital for further treatment.
If no surgery is needed
Although some conditions will benefit from surgery, this is not always the case. Alternatively, surgery may be a last resort if other forms of treatment have not worked. For example, your doctor may recommend weight reduction, physiotherapy and medication before considering surgery.
While some of these alternatives are available with health insurance, others may require long-term follow-up by your GP or NHS consultant.
If you have cancer
Private cancer care can offer treatments not available on the NHS. However, without health insurance, these treatments can sometimes cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. Therefore, it is important to check whether specialist treatments will benefit you.
If you have had a private diagnosis, your consultant will probably ask your GP for an urgent referral for treatment to ensure you are seen quickly.
If you need emergency help
Some private providers offer access to urgent care clinics where you can walk in and be seen quickly for a fee. However, they are usually only available in larger cities. They also do not treat life-threatening injuries and are not a substitute for emergency medical care.
If you had your surgery privately, your aftercare will be included in the price. However, if you experience life-threatening complications, you will need NHS care. Whatever the reason for the complication, the NHS will always treat you in an emergency.
Mixing NHS treatment with private treatment
You can combine NHS care with private treatment if necessary. There are guidelines to ensure that your NHS and private care remain separate.
Your NHS care will always be free, and you will only be asked to pay for things like prescriptions. The NHS will not pay for or subsidize any private care.
Your NHS and private treatment must be separate
You usually need to have your private care at a different time and place to any NHS care. For example, they might see you in a private hospital, in a private room or in a separate building in an NHS hospital. Many NHS consultants also offer private treatment and their clinics should usually be open outside NHS opening hours or at another location.
You will also not be able to mix different parts of the same treatment plan between NHS and private care. NHS guidelines give the example of cataract surgery. A private practice can offer you special lens implants that are not available on the NHS. You can’t pay for lenses and go for NHS surgery. Instead, you must have the surgery and lenses done privately or opt for NHS surgery with standard lenses.
Am I skipping the line?
If you are already on an NHS waiting list and decide to pay for a private consultant visit, this will not affect your position on the waiting list. You will only be able to skip the waiting list for NHS treatment if you get a referral for urgent treatment. You will be screened based on normal NHS criteria, such as your level of need.
Referrals for private care
You do not necessarily need a referral from your GP if you want to access private care. However, seeing a GP before deciding to pay privately can be helpful.
For example, your GP may tell you that you need special tests or scans. Some, such as blood tests or X-rays, may be available quickly from your GP’s surgery or through the walk-in service at your local hospital. Others may take longer. Alternatively, you may have been told by your GP that you need surgery but face a long wait through the NHS.
In such circumstances, a referral from your GP can provide your private consultant with useful clinical information to help you get the treatment you need.
Private recipes
As mentioned, your private consultation may not lead to surgery. A private GP or consultant can issue a private prescription to see if the medication is solving the problem. However, if you need a repeat prescription, a private doctor will not be able to issue one. The BMA’s guidelines state that they should take a full medical history from you, including details of any medicines you are currently taking, to make sure new prescriptions are safe to take.
If you need to take your new medicine long-term, you must return to your GP for NHS care. They will then be able to monitor your condition and issue repeat prescriptions as needed.
Getting advice on private healthcare
The NHS has been there to provide us with high quality medical care that is free at the point of use since 1948. However, waiting times have increased, with 7.4 million patients currently waiting for treatment. If you want to explore paying for privacy, you can learn more here.
Private health insurance can also provide comprehensive cover that gives you access to private treatment for a variety of conditions. A specialist broker can help you through the process, looking for offers and comparing policies so you can make an informed choice.
