Would you pay for private A and E?

[Albertslittletie]

I’ve had three horrible A and E visits that have left me with PTSD and health anxiety. I’ve got private insurance with BUPA but I was thinking, if there was a way to pay for private A and E, I would.

i hate myself for thinking that because im just falling into the Tory plan but is the NHS ever going to recover? I don’t know.

would private hospitals take the strain and wait times down for regular hospitals or would they just start reducing funding for them and make them shit and then healthcare becomes worse for those who can’t afford it?

curious for thoughts.

Thanks to PP I’ve just seen that there are at least private urgent care departments which obviously aren’t going to ever be able to deal with life threatening or trauma but can deal with the other stuff….. that’s made me feel mildly better…..

I’m pretty sure the OP knows they don’t currently have private A&E (outside London at least) but yes if I had the option I would (also knowing realistically it’s unlikely to be viable). DH & I had this exact conversation last week when I was sent back to sit on some awful metal chairs for 7 hours in absolute agony after being triaged.

I don't see how it would work. People end up waiting in A&E because there are people that need treatment more urgently than them. Money should not come into it.

Yes. The NHS terrifies me.

Many people go to A and E for things A and E are not set up for. So can't get a GP appointment, minor injuries, second opinion, minor medical issues.
But people who really need A and E are usually expensive to treat. I ended up in A and E. The NHS cost was a paramedic who treated me to stabilise me, an ambulance with crew, staff who treated me in A and E, then admittance to a ward with tests and treatment for 5 days. Then follow ups by GP. This is incredibly expensive.

I would

If it existed I would. As an Emetophobe its the scariest place you can ever send me and I hate myself for not being able to wait in there with people that have needed me to in the past.

I would still imagine you would have to wait with other sick people

If a private A and E was set up it would soon be mired in scandal as it would not be able to cope with complex cases.
People who went in with sports injuries, minor niggles, broken angle would be happy though.

Private minor injuries would be more useful, stitches, chest infections, and those other things people sit for many hours in A&E waiting to be seen for because they aren't as life threatening as a heart attack, or car crash injuries.

Yes you would still have to be triaged and wait. An A and E with enough Drs sitting round waiting for the next case to come in would be extortionately expensive.

If it's private they might have an area for people who are going to throw up where everyone hasn't got to watch them do it.

If it existed, or it were feasible for it to exist, then yes I would.

Having had to have three A&E visits in the past 12 months for three different and urgent reasons, it made me wonder what the very rich and celebrities in the UK do now?? During one of those visits I roamed around A&E moaning out loud in pain for eight hours as I waited to be seen can’t imagine someone important doing that.

@Fantina there is a “protocol” for politicians using A&E so I imagine it’s the same for celebs. (Or there was a protocol when DH was a registrar - sickeningly).

Ive used private urgent care in south Manchester - excellent.

Not everyone knows they are going to throw up.

How many areas will this private A&E have? One for people who can't deal with others being sick, one for people who can't put up with the moaning of sick/in pain people etc.

If private A&Es were financially viable, they would already exist.

I'm sure lots of people would like access to emergency medicine that was likely to be less busy / better staffed / better resourced etc. But maybe a more sensible way to provide this would be to invest in the services we have. If people would be willing to pay for this privately, it would be interesting to know if you'd pay more tax to fund it? If it was at a similar rate to what you'd pay for access to a private service and the additional tax was only to be spent on improving those services? (Not that I think that will happen, just a hypothetical)

I would.

Not sure

There is one in London

https://facilities.hcahealthcare.co.uk/london/the-princess-grace-hospital-part-of-hca-healthcare-uk

I paid when I thought I'd broken my wrist and the wait was 8 hours in normal A&E. In and out within 45 minutes with a splint. (but it cost a fortune!)

@Vinvertebrate That’s interesting, thanks. I can understand them being given a private waiting area to save being filmed in a vulnerable state but they should have to face the same waiting times as the rest of us particularly when politicians are the ones in a position to effect the changes needed to resource the NHS properly.

I'm unlikely to be able to afford it, even if it became an option.

Noone should have to pay for A&E treatment. Noones heart attack survival should depend if you can afford to queue jump

Nonsense there are two near me