Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
  • Private medical insurance
  • chilled76
    Free Member

    Morning folks,

    Sat waiting in the QMC fracture clinic at the minute. Appointment was supposed to be at half 8. Its now 9:25am and all thats happened is the waiting room has filled up.

    Fed up with NHS letting me down, had a couple of difficulties in recent years which a quick referral would really have helped with.

    Whos got it? Hows it work? What differences have you noticed by having it?

    Also roughly how much does it cost?

    I had a couple of quotes a few years ago and got bamboozled by medical sales pitches that were super unclear as to what I would actually get, then got harassed by marketing phone calls trying to sell me the policy so it switched me off.

    Any thoughts from people who have taken the plunge?

    eckinspain
    Free Member

    I get mine through work so didn’t have to go through the hassle of choosing which provider. But in the case of a fracture I’m not sure private insurance would help – wouldn’t they send you to an NHS place for that anyway?

    alexpalacefan
    Full Member

    The reason that there is a queue is that the doctors are all busy doing private work.
    Do you want to be part of the problem?

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    legend
    Free Member

    But in the case of a fracture I’m not sure private insurance would help – wouldn’t they send you to an NHS place for that anyway?

    Nope, they’ll cover all sorts. Got my (very) broken scapula done privately

    jimbobo
    Free Member

    £25-£45 p/month generally, a&e services still via nhs, fracture follow up available privately with consultant orthopaedic specialist related to relative bone. May advise nhs for some aspects of care, but generally the main benefit of private healthcare for acute issues like this is quicker treatment, being able to choose appointments more flexibly and outcomes closer related to your goals. (Nhs did a fine job with my shoulder so I could move my arm, private didna fine job of fixing my shoulder so I could box again.)

    You are not waiting a long time as all the doctors are working in private health, almost all drs in private health also work in the NHS.

    allfankledup
    Full Member

    Got it through work – work like to get their staff back to their desks quickly, rather than being off sick.

    On at least two occasions, where members of my team have broken bones (ankles normally) work has paid for a taxi to get them to / from work daily – a journey of some 25 miles each way.

    The insurance covers the wife and kids as well – it has been very useful on a couple of occasions

    irc
    Full Member

    chilled76 – Member

    Sat waiting in the QMC fracture clinic at the minute

    One of my part time jobs involves taking people to random NHS outpatient appointments in the Glasgow area. At the Glasgow Royal Infirmary the fracture clinic is notoriously slow. Everyone seems to get the same appt time. I expect a wait of 60-90 minutes when I go there.

    On the other hand at a different GRI dept last week I parked the vehicle and was back at it within 15m including the walk to and from the dept and seeing the doctor.

    The other extreme was a morning outpatient appt at the Gartnavel Eye clinic which lasted 7 hours. Numerous different checks/scans with long waits between.

    Mostly everywhere is pretty good to be fair. I went to the Yorkhill Outpatients myself for a dermatology appt. Got taken 5 mins early. Saw Doctor, Consultant, had a photo taken, and biopsy under a local anesthetic. Back at my car within 45m. Don’t see going private improving that.

    midlifecrashes
    Full Member

    QMC tip. For food and drink the main restaurant on West block D floor and the Hipps cafe on A floor of the medical school block are both open to the public and a much more pleasant place to be, and better food, than the Costa or Fontanella by the main entrance.

    Splash-man
    Free Member

    I think that private cover has its benefits when you know you will have through a number of hurdles in the NHS.
    I ruptured a disc a number of years ago. Within 10 days I had seen the consultant, had an MRI scan, reviewed with the consultant, operated on, and back home fixed.
    6 months later I received a letter from the NHS for physio as the first step of treatment.
    The main difference is the speed of getting into the system to the point where something meaningful can be done as jimbobo says.
    I get the cover as a benefit from work.

    chilled76
    Free Member

    Cheers for the replies folks.

    Despite the wait had really good service, need to uhm and aghh this over a bit more.

    Elbows still broken though 🙁

    Drac
    Full Member

    Yup fracture clinics are notorious for running late, they get extremely busy.

    teesoo
    Full Member

    I have Bupa cover through work, but pay extra (~£60/month) to add in the rest of the family.

    I had my gallbladder removed earlier this year. I was told by my GP that the NHS would take about 18 weeks, but got the referral from my GP and had it done privately in less than a fortnight.

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    The reason that there is a queue is that the doctors are all busy doing private work.

    Good Troll.

    The reason you are delayed is because there simply are not enough slots to go around, and more people are falling of mountain bikes.

    Sensible answer for OP:

    IMO it is not worth paying yourself personally for private medical, if your company will pay great but the cost to fund yourself is silly, plus the excesses will go up, the exclusions will go up etc etc.

    IMO far better to pay for a consultation privately (if NHS waiting lists are long) and then re join the NHS list for surgery (if that’s what you need).

    Some private docs are great, some are terrible. Just because you are seeing someone privately doesn’t mean they are any good. Case being I was talking to someone last night who needs an OP. His Physio had said this surgeon (a professor) is wonderful, a Consultant Radiologist had said the surgeon was wonderful, but unfortunately the NHS ends up sorting out his cock ups that he makes in private land.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    The reason that there is a queue is that the doctors are all busy doing private work.
    Do you want to be part of the problem?

    So nothing to do with being deliberately underfunded by the Tories to soften the public up for full privatisation then?

    BenHouldsworth
    Free Member

    I’ve got insurance through work for me and my wife, £90, half of which is taken through my tax code.

    If you’d have asked me 15 years ago when i worked in the NHS and it was well funded I’d have said waste of money but I’ve used it twice in the last 2 years and got treated so fast it was scary and for something the NHS probably would say no to.

    I’ve got degenerative discs in my lower back, I could still ride 90 mins before they hurt and while uncomfortable wasn’t crippling me but was affecting MY quality of life.

    First call got me 6 weeks of physio starting the next day, no real resolution so got referred for an MRI; got it done 48 hours later, found the discs and compressed nerve so referred to a consultant and admitted and steroid epidural within 7 days.

    More recently I’ve developed rotor cuff issues, again there’s folk far worse than me but pain didn’t resolve and I couldn’t do things to the extent that suited me.

    Saw a consultant and he popped some steroids in there and then.

    That’s what I’m paying for, to be treated incredibly quickly with clincians that will treat things the NHS would say aren’t bad enough yet.

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