Let me start by saying I'm not uk resident and am perfectly willing to pay for any NHS treatment I receive whilst in the uk on holiday. However, last time I visited I was pregnant and needed to extend my stay as my father in law became suddenly ill, he went on to pass away. I needed to have my 20 week scan and the hospital where my father in law was in ICU was kind enough to organize this (I was going to book privately which would have cost somewhere between £150-£250, depending on the clinic) but logistics meant it was far easier for us to just pop down a couple of floors to have the scan, rather than travel. I made it clear that I was not resident and asked for a price before the scan, the midwives and staff on the desk said they didn't know if I would be charged anything at all but would let me know later, I mentioned the figures I'd been quoted privately and they made comments along the lines of 'goodness it wouldn't be as much as that' but they couldn't say for sure how much it would be or if I would even be charged.
A few weeks later I get a bill for over £700, the scan took 12 minutes! Private clinics charge a fraction of that price but I can't get anyone to see sense. I paid the bill and then made a formal complaint, they have replied saying that is the price and that is that. My insurance won't cover it as the scan was not emergency treatment. I have no problem paying but am really annoyed that a profit making clinic charges around £200 and they've charge me over £700. Wwyd, leave it be or keep complaining? Obviously in the midst of my father in law's passing this wasn't a huge priority hence me just paying the bill and complaining later.