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

I've paid for:

-a private GP appt and blood tests, so that I could have a good overall check of my health. I wasn't offered the well-woman check thing at my normal GP, so figured this was a way to get it sorted.

-yearly checks with dentist and optician (but I think many people do this) for myself and the kids.

-private women's physio to address pelvic floor issues.

-private gynae appointments to address really awful peri symptoms (which have been going on for about 5yrs and numerous calls to try and see my GP haven't amounted to a single appointment).

I have saved up money each time to get these things addressed/get checked. If that private GP appt had picked something up, then at least then the problem can be addressed sooner.

General appointments GP

Everything else I go private.

I've taken things private when speed is more important than money. It also relieves the NHS of a little bit of pressure.

I tried to get a GP appointment and there is nothing for 16 weeks. This is the first time I’ve thought about going private.

Personally, yes, I would. Quality of life is the most important thing in the world, and I would pay whatever I could afford to improve it. I don't think anyone should need to pay for private healthcare, but that's another debate entirely!

However, this isn't the case for everybody. I have older relatives who wouldn't pay for private investigations despite having the money, and despite the fact that they may not have many years left to enjoy (so time is of the essence!). They see it as a luxury, which isn't my view at all.

So it depends on someone's viewpoint, I guess.

I have a private dentist, physiotherapist and I have used a private GP. A parent very kindly paid for me to have private tests as we had family medical insurance at the time. However I feel like the times when you would really want to go private - degenerative or life-limiting illness, large risky operations etc. would be so expensive that even well-off people would struggle to afford it without insurance

I’ve paid for a private physiotherapist and a private therapist, because the waiting lists were just too long and it was affecting my ability to work (self employed- no sick leave)

That doesn’t mean I can afford private healthcare otherwise, and I strongly believe in the NHS and healthcare being free at the point of access.

Yes absolutely. I pay privately for consultations with my orthopaedic doctor because if you attend the nhs clinic you see a different person every single time and get possibly 10 minutes after extremely long wait times.

However I am also under the care of the same doctor on the nhs and would probably opt to have surgery with him on the nhs. We are lucky to have quite short wait times here and an excellent orthopaedic centre.