Getting NHS scan results for private consultant?

[PapaAl]

My DW had an MRI scan at an NHS hospital last week, but we want to get the results of the scan sent to our private specialist (from her health insurance) for another opinion.

They're telling us to fill in a form and to expect to wait 40 DAYS for the results... long time to wait when you're not feeling well...

Anybody had a similar experience and how did you get hold of the results quicker?

I'm fairly sure it wouldn't take that long if they were sending to our GP. (Scan was at the Royal London Hospital if that helps.)

Any advice appreciated!

[CMOTDibbler]

My consultants secretary dealt with getting all my xrays and scans from the NHS hospital. I think she had them within a week.

[FlumptyDumpty]

They have to send them to your NHS GP, surely? Could you get a copy from them and pass it on to the consultant? 40 days sounds ridiculous.

[hellomynameis]

They don't have to send a copy to GP - only if the GP requested the scan.

It depends on the type of MRI and the urgency in terms of reporting.

Unfortunately just because a private consultant wants the results doesn't mean your case takes priority over other NHS cases.

[holidaysarenice]

Basically it's not the consultant requesting, it is you under a freedom of information request. So 40 days is the legal time limit and expect a small cost. The information is online.

Basically with us if you are not an arse you will get it much quicker. If you pester the secretary then it will be the legal time limit and if thaTs not satisfactory then have the scan privately as well.

[PapaAl]

Thanks for advice so far.

We asked the consultant's secretary and she asked us to get it from the imaging department direct. It was an NHS consultant (professor actually!) that ordered the scan, not the private guy, so I guess that makes sense from an privacy perspective that the hospital won't give it to them.

Then we asked the NHS professor's sec nicely, but she wanted us to get it from the imaging dept directly.....

Since GP didn't request, they will not be getting a copy...



Yah I think @holiday is right on the money, it looks like they have fobbed us off to some kind of FoI request. But that's just not right because this is a medical request!

I'm not expecting to get ahead of NHS patients, I just want to be given the same report in the same timescale as an NHS clinician referring and take it away to be interpreted privately. I wonder what people did before FoI came about.

Is there any other way? Otherwise - yes had better to super nice to that FoI secretary sigh

[5madthings]

We had to do this recently for ds2 I got it faxed to the private Dr's in the en, but a pita doing so. The information been sent to our gp but the gps surgery would only let a certain person fax it through, anyway they were rather crap until I insisted on speaking to the practise manager and then it miraculously got done that day.

Our hospital is meant to be paperless with everything electronic, but when I asked about emailing something they can't do attachments.... They also wouldn't let me see the paper copy as I said I would go pick it up myself and hand deliver if I had to.

[ScottishDiblet]

Hmmmm. We did this when I had a broken leg that the NHS consultant said would heal with time and no need for an operation. 2 weeks later the break had got much worse and they still weren't going to operate. Anyway I went privately and the consultant said I needed an urgent operation and I honestly hate to think about how bad things would be for me now if I hadn't seen him. So we went to the imaging department of the hospital with a form and a receipt (showing we had paid at the cashier desk) for the sum for the images and I'm pretty sure they did it then and there. I wonder if it's worth going down to the hospital first thing on, say, a Tuesday morning and asking very nicely for them to do it for you? Good luck.

[PapaAl]

@Scottish sounds painful hope all better now. The frustrating thing is the scan is all done (DH drank growing green radioactive stuff and spent half a day in a loudly humming box) and the results are just sitting in the hospital.

I'm totally in the same frame of mind as @5mad, I would happily just get down the hospital and get it myself!

She just got through to a nice chappie in the info dept who reassured her that scans are often a lot faster than 40 days. Fingers crossed and saga continues...

[PapaAl]

DW not DH!!! oops

[MatildaTheCat]

I've had to do this several times. For future reference, any time you have an nhs MRI ask at the time for a request for a copy of the scan disc. It's really annoying because if you have the scan done privately in the exact same place you are given a copy of the disc as you leave.

The actual scan report may not even be done yet, the nhs generally states up to two weeks for the report unless it is marked as urgent. I assume your private consultant wants both the disc and the report? Perhaps you could ask your GP. To request that a copy of the report is faxed over to them? This should be possible. As for the disc, keep up the very polite perseverance. The poster above who suggests you are queue jumping is overlooking the fact that in your case it is urgent irrespective of nhs or private. This kind of nonsense makes me so cross, I've wasted hours and hours trying to sort out thin kind of thing whilst in absolute agony. Sometimes we go privately because another three months to see the nhs consultant makes you feel like killing yourself.

I hope your dw is better very soon.

[PoshPenny]

I just want to add that it's not Freedom of information, it's Data Protection Act, those results are yours and you are entitled to a copy of them by law.