AIBU to assume you would not used private HC on a one-off etc if needs must??

I'm probably about to do it.

Seeing a Consultant tomorrow as I need surgery. I know what the waiting time is and know he also does private work, so I'll go private to essentially jump the queue.

Private health insurance is a work perk, so I'll use it.

Going through this exact same thing with my sister- in- law. We have just got back from a private GP appointment because totally unable to even get through being number 27 in the queue at 8 am. Private was £120 and within a couple of hours. Scan arranged for Friday at a cost of £350. That was all done and we are awaiting the results. I think the private doctors are used to it because the plan is to write to the GP with the diagnosis and have NHS care from there. My sister-in-law was very honest and said she would not be able to afford surgery or anything far past an initial consultation and scan but wanted a diagnosis.

I know several people that have done this including a neighbour that went to an orthopedic surgeon for a private consultation. He had been having trouble with his knee for years and the NHS gave him deep heat, pain killers and physiotherapy. In the end he was desperate and the private surgeon wrote to his GP recommending a knee replacement on the NHS because the issue was bone on bone and nothing else would alleviate the pain. He ended up with that private surgeon doing the operation in the private hospital but paid for by the NHS. It would have been £16K if he had to pay.

I use private dentist, but not exactly through choice as the only other option round here is no dentist at all.

I did opt to have my hysterectomy done privately, this was getting on for 20 years ago, and I felt a 6 month wait with very severe symptoms was far too long. I suspect the wait would be a fair bit longer now. I had the cash in my savings due to an inheritance.

I had an echocardiogram done privately a couple of years ago after a suspected mild heart attack. The wait on the NHS would have only been about 6-8 weeks, but I was worried sick I had a blockage in my artery, and was going to drop dead. So had it done within the week and sent the report to my NHS cardiologist who was happy I had had it done.

I don't see a problem with doing this, I wasn't queue jumping the NHS or using NHS facilities. My procedures were carried out in private clinics with their own staff and equipment. Me having my things done privately freed up an NHS appointment for someone else to use.

Yes definitely.
KS on the political debate last week said he wouldn't but I'm calling BS. surely if one of his kids needed treatment he would be quick changing his mind.

I wonder if one of the reasons the waiting lists for NHS treatment have gone down is precisely because more and more of us are using the private sector.

The NHS is broken. We need a new model (like Farage says). No party will look at the working systems of Spain and France.

Yes, I have private dental insurance and private medical cover. A relative has struggled with the NHS and they have Stage 4 cancer. Missed letters, not joined up,etc etc.

Yes absolutely 100% I would, and I have done once a few years ago to get a CT scan quicker than I would have got on the NHS. I'm definitely not rich but I'll go without everything to ensure my health is protected if I think it could have serious consequences to wait for NHS treatment.

@daydreamsandsunbeams is there? They’re both buying a privilege other people can’t afford.

My dad waited 2 years for a hip replacement - was in awful pain every day but refused to pay (despite being able to). Mainly due to a “why should I have to pay” attitude - being 86 he was sold the “cradle to grave” ideal of the nhs and is of the opinion that he is “entitled” to treatment when he needs it.

Unfortunately yes we are generally being forced to. Currently paying for private orthodontic work for ds 14(entitled to NHS but huge wait) paying for private counselling for dd 16 as cahms is, well cahms.

Likely need to pay for either physio or ortho referral for DH. We are not rich at all just using savings and working overtime. What sort of life is this to wait for years for help to get a decent quality of life and being fit for work?

There's a massive difference between healthcare and education

My mum would never consider it.

She waited over two years for her cataract operation. She has plenty of money and could have afforded it private quickly no problem.

It's just not on her radar.

She spent ten years fighting the NHS to get proper treatment for my dad who had cancer 4 times in ten years until he finally died so she knows full well how hard it is to get decent care out of it.

Absolutely. I've used the private system several times in recent years. My last trip cost me less than a vet bill that we had at about the same time. The consultant thought it was hilarious that he was cheaper than a local vet. On the other hand, when I had cancer the NHS were amazing, the fact that I live and breath are entirely due to their skill and prompt care

Oh completely!

I have a number of health issues I have been fobbed off about with not only disinterest but occasionally hostility from my GP. (I don;'t like her at all, she's brusque and rude). I was becoming exhausted and was in bed by 6 pm every day for about 18 months. She told me to lose weight. I kept going back. I was having nose bleeds and petechiae and all sorts. Finally I went to a private GP and it turns out I have pernicious anaemia and with a course of B12 injections and ongoing tablets I am right as rain. Pernicious anaemia can be fatal if untreated. After returning time and time again my GP never even suggested blood tests. Just 'lose weight'.

I also went to her because I had a lump on my neck. She said it was a lipoma and cosmetic only. It wasn't and I am now undergoing treatment.

I’ve paid privately for physio and counselling. My friend paid privately for an MRI because the waiting list for neurology was 9 months and thank god she did because they found a brain tumour

Thankfully,(because we couldn't afford private medicine, ) we have excellent GPs, I've had a new hip and a new knee in the past five years, didn't have to wait longer than five months from xray to op. My husband was put on a fast-track cancer pathway recently by our GP. Sadly, an operation revealed that he does have cancer, we saw consultant last week, he had a scan last week and we're back to the hospital this coming Tuesday to discuss the options.

I moved abroad a couple of years ago. Before that, I never really managed to use the NHS my entire adult life. The couple of GP appointments I got were beyond useless. They were so short and dismissive, I don't even know why they bothered giving me an appointment.

I got private heath insurance as soon as I started work after uni. The insurance didn't cover everything (especially re some expensive dental treatments I needed) but it was absolutely invaluable overall. We're moving back to the UK next year and we are definitely going private again.

Dentist and physio I go private for. Haven't done so for GP appointments or hospital, haven't needed to as the NHS was pretty quick getting me appointments recently. However would consider it if push came to shove.

Yes of course I would .

Our family has pretty much given up using NHS services. The GP was the last one to go, but they refused to share care with DS’ private consultant and DD’s synptoms have been dismissed on five visits (private GP referred to an orthopaedic consultant and sue is now receiving good care). We pay a monthly subscription to a private family GP service, as well as seeing a specialist menopause doctor, private psychiatrist for DS, BUPA insurance, and physio and dentist.

I Would hope the NHS would provide good care in an emergency (DS was well cared for with sepsis) but I wouldn’t use it for routine care at the moment.

I have just spent £1000 on private gp appointments and various blood tests and finally feel listened to after struggling with poor health for over 2 years gradually getting worse to the point my mobility is badly affected and I’ve had to go part time at work
I am now getting treatment for numerous conditions that my NHS GP missed or refused to test me for - was fobbed off with HRT which actually caused me to feel worse!
I am beyond angry - if treated earlier I would not be where I am, I was lucky to be able to spend some savings that I would’ve used for a holiday but decided there was no point when I felt so unwell

Given how violently against private education everyone appears to be, I assume they’d be violently against jumping the queue for healthcare too…

Yes have used private care multiple times within our family, three surgery's and one ongoing medical condition and all consults surrounding all.

I've paid for private gynae once before and I've paid for private blood tests a couple of times but private healthcare isn't much more expensive in my country so its not such a big deal.

I pay monthly for a dental plan which gives me two check ups and two visits to hygienist each year

Unfortunately, it doesn't really relieve pressure in the NHS. There is an immediate direct impact of one procedure less being carried out by the NHS, but there is also an indirect impact on NHS capacity further down the line.

The more work gets taken privately, the more staff the private sector needs to employ. NHS consultants will be able to pick up more private work if there is more demand for it (private consultants are usually NHS consultants, who do some work privately, so it's the same group of people doing the work across both sectors).

There is a finite number of skilled clinical staff in the UK, and a finite number of hours/shifts they can work in a week - so an increase in staff working privately will equate to a decrease in staff available to do NHS work. E.g. a consultant turning down an extra NHS shift because they have private work booked on that day, or a nurse changing jobs into the private sector, leaving a vacancy on their ward.

All of that has an impact on NHS capacity, number of clinics, bed availability etc.

I'm not saying using private is wrong (see my answer above), but increasing demand for private healthcare services it's not consequence free for the NHS, because the NHS is where the staff come from to supply that demand.