Private GP subscriptions

[Garysmum]

I am considering whether a private GP subscription would be worthwhile for me.

I have complex issues as I have auto-immune disease which I am under rheumatology for but I am susceptible to infections and always seem to have issues. Getting an appointment with my GP is hard work. Being rural they prescribe and dispense medication - even emergency antibiotics take 3-5 days to get hold of. (same day prescriptions for ear infections etc seem to be a thing of the past)

As a result I have seen a private GP twice in the last year for acute infections where I could not get a GP appointment within a few days. The service makes sense in this respect.

But I noticed a number of these services are offering a subscription option - this would work out as much cheaper if you actually used it. Now I have a lot of GP appointments but I can't see how these could be replaced by a private GP and wondered if I'm missing something.

Can private GPs refer you into NHS specialities - e.g. menopause services, rheumatology or orthopaedics for example? Or do they write to your GP to suggest that your NHS GP refer you - in which case why would you go privately?

Are there any cases beyond acute treatment such as an infection where private GPs can actually help a patient progress NHS care by referral for tests etc?

100% do it. It's not immoral, it relieves the NHS. We have private insurance and don't really use the NHS because we don't want to burden it and not because we don't believe in the competency of its staff or management.

I had no idea these exist but think it’s an excellent idea. I’ve had to rely on private healthcare on a number of occasions recently.

If your private gp/consultant is nhs registered you can get referred to NHS services via them
Also look into Benenden health they're amazing. Not quite full private health but excellent for fast diagnosis and tests/scans

I presume you would miss out on continuity of care e.g. would they have access to your records or would you need to give them the whole history each time? I am obviously assuming that it would be a different GP each appointment.

I second Benenden Health , my sister has used their GP service a couple of times this year as her GP is absolute bollocks .

Yes they can and should refer you, but they don’t always

No they don’t have access to NHS investigations quicker than NHS GP

I haven’t used an nhs gp in 20 years. Nor have my children. We aren’t even registered with one. I can’t answer you on NHS referrals as we have private healthcare for any referrals.

Would the subscription cover the cost of private prescriptions? A private prescription is the cost of the drug plus a dispensing fee it could be very expensive.

Thank you all. I already have BUPA but it doesn't cover the GP aspect and can't be altered as it is a work policy that covers diagnosis by consultant basically.
I might try Benenden then.

If you're seeing a private GP, you should get a referral to private specialists.

Otherwise you're queue-jumping those in need, and yes that is immoral.

Just be mindful that a private GP will have no access to your NHS records. That makes continuity of care impossible if you want to straddle NHS and private GP services.

if it’s urgent acute prescriptions you need what about trying an urgent treatment or walk in centre? That might save you some cash.

@twentythousand I don't think it works like that. Please tell me if I have misunderstood. You see a private GP and they refer you to a NHS consultant or you see an NHS GP for a referral to the same consultant. The NHS wait time for those consultants will be the same whoever refers you.

The private GP only speeds up the process in that it is easier to get an appointment with them - my GP surgery is vastly oversubscribed and I often can't get an appointment. If I could afford to move 3 miles down the road I would always get an appointment as the next village is in catchment for an excellent GP service whereas mine is failing.

It should also be pointed out that some of the consultants I see are so specialised they are NHS only so you can't see them privately!

I notice Lloyds Pharmacy do an online GP membership thing, that costs about £15 a month if you subscribe for a year and includes any medication. Has anyone tried this?

You do know the doctors are the same as NHS doctors don't you?

If it is a wholly private GP and they are not employed by NHS, they cannot refer you to NHS specialist/facility. You can only be referred by an NHS GP.

Also, in recent years, several if not all of the local NHS teaching hospitals (I am in London) have a policy that all patients are allotted to the any consultant in the same specialty that has next clinic appointment available regardless of who the referral is addressed to. Referrer can't choose consultant (well, they can try but you are quite likely to find yourself seeing their colleague instead).