To not drop this with the NHS

[Batgirl29]

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.

I usually recieve my antinatal care at a private hospital on a few occasions I have been to unwell to travel so have been seen as a private patient in my local hospital my 20 week scan at that hospital cost £90

Batgirl YANBU - I would pursue this. £700 is ridiculous and you gave ample opportunity for someone to look up the price. Just because it's the NHS, does not mean they are exempt from fair practice.
Shocked at some of the comments on here today.

That's even more bonkers. An NHS hospital would get paid another £1,755 for the delivery phase (that's standard delivery, no complications), and another £250 for standard PN care. So a total of £3,062 for the whole pregnancy.

So they quoted you the NHS price and didn't add anything on for the private element! Which is even more misleading and you in no way could infer from that that they would charge £700 for a scan.

If that's what they have decided to charge, then they are within their rights to do so. BUT they need to be clear about the price UPFRONT so patients can make a decision about where to go. And presumably you wouldn't choose them if they are 3.5 x the cost of competitors!

Yanbu, that's ridiculous. I had mine at the Portland and it was not even half that. They need to give you a breakdown of that amount. Definitely pursue this.

I think you do have a valid argument, OP. The difficulty is that you've paid the bill. The comments about the desk staff you spoke to not knowing the cost are irrelevant - from your perspective, you asked for/relied upon an indication of cost from members of staff and had no reason to mistrust the information you were given. Your decision to go ahead with a scan was at least partly based on the indication of costs you were given. If the staff you spoke to were not qualified to comment on cost, then they should not have done so.

Don't be silly. They didn't decide to make money out of you choosing to stay in the uk.

Is the baby okay? Is your partner OK after the loss of his father? Those are the questions that need answering.

I honestly think someone has fucked up here. £700 is ridiculous.

And I can't believe the responses! OP was required to stay to look after a sick relative, and needed important healthcare, for which she has paid in full.

She has been at best misled by the organisation providing that care here; at what was a vulnerable time. I hope this is swiftly corrected for you OP.

If you purchase something without enquiring as to the cost then that is your problem IMO

Another NHS finance type person here.

A nurse/doctor/admin/ward clerk/receptionist would not know the cost for a scan. Thats why there are finance departments.

Agreed you should have been put in touch with someone from finance or the overseas visitor officer but you should have also insisted on confirming the cost prior to the procedure. Especially as it wasn't an emergency.

Sorry about your FIL

She did enquire about the cost though, and in sure if the nurses had said go to this office and and so and so then she would have done

OP, I think you have a valid complaint too. Clinical staff should not be commenting if they don't know - they are in a position of trust and representing their hospital - how is the patient supposed to know what their area of expertise is so they can ignore the nonsense?

I agree some of the comments are harsh. You were in a stressful situation, pregnant and trying to make the right decision by your family. You were given inaccurate information. I think I would briefly complain about the poor info, ask the hospital for a breakdown, attach quotes from elsewhere and see what happens. If they won't budge, then perhaps leave it, just because pursuing these things can get stressful.

Would just like to add the compassion on here is second to none.

having recently spent a week in ICU, I can imagine it was fraught and stressful week. AND I think you need to drop it, us briots are very protective of the NHS right now, scary times for the NHS to be honest, and this was a mistake- unfortunate for you though. Hope you go onto to a happy birth!

NHS scan prices aren't comparable to private clinics

I had a private scan in a private clinic - there was no support staff! Just a sonographer who had to refer me elsewhere if there were any complications identified during the scan.

A friend at the same time as me had a NHS scan, they found complications, there were appropriate (non sonographer) staff on hand to take her aside, comfort her, talk her through what happens next, book her in immediately for the proceedures she was going to need.

Had that happened to me at the private clinic I went to for mine I'ld have probably been packed off to either the nearest NHS hospital.

I don't think the extra is "profit", the extra is all the support on hand should your scan turn out to no be routine.

However, in the OPs case, if she was specifically told that it would not be mroe than Xamt, then she should not pay more than Xamt.

It is standard practice for prices to be displayed/available before purchase in this country. The fact that the nurses didn't know is no excuse. I would take this through PALs.

The Government are increasingly chasing costs from non-residents (and using them to decline residency applications would you believe) and the practicle and legal aspects of this decision need to be questioned and I think your case needs to be considered higher up.

I don't think it would be a long-term 'cost' to the NHS to have this issue raised actually. It needs to be done.

I'm so sorry to hear about your father in law OP; added to the stresses and strains of being pregnant and far from home.

I'm another one who thinks you absolutely have a leg to stand on and should pursue this if you choose, although as others have said it's trickier in that you've paid the bill; you may well not be reimbursed. Would you pursue it out of principle or are you anticipating reimbursement? That should inform your choice I think.

It may be that you've accepted paying over the odds to (understandably) avoid hassle at a difficult time, and I'm sure you know you may not get that back now you've got the head-space available to tackle it. In my line of work once I've paid for something I've tacitly accepted the cost stated - I fear it may be the same for you. However if I disagree with the cost prior to payment that's acceptable, and I think you would have had many reasons to query it!

Like I say I understand why you paid, and you may have paid for that little bit of respite with cold hard cash. Would you still pursue this if it were only in the hope of getting an apology? If so, go into it explicitly asking for an apology; you may get one more easily if they know your expectations.

That is very expensive! I paid 120 euros both times for my 20wk scans with a consultant obstetrician who specialises in foetal scans. Given the steep price and the non-emergency nature of the procedure they should have given you a written quote in advance. They should also review their procedures on clinical staff giving out possible quotes, they are not qualified to do so, so they should have referred you to the finance department.

I'm sorry OP, but from a general consumer point of view you bought a service without agreeing a price and later paid the bill, which you are now (understandably) angry about. I don't think you have a leg to stand on from a legal POV, but I get why you feel aggrieved. On the other hand, you have nothing to lose by writing and complaining!

You've paid a pretty steep price for choosing to 'pop down a couple of floor'.

I agree that it does need to be done

and it's not an "attack" on the NHS, this complaint being investigated will benefit the clinical staff because if the gov are upping the non-resident invoices they want to send out, then they have to make provisions for that to happen so that clinical staff aren't put on the spot like that without the appropriate admin/finance info/staff to refer to without having to chose between going off on a treasure hunt to find this hidden info Vs getting on with their job!

"I'm sorry OP, but from a general consumer point of view you bought a service without agreeing a price and later paid the bill, which you are now (understandably) angry about"

An upper limit was agreed when the staff member said "it won't be as much as that", and so the OP does have a leg to stand on

Same as if you hired a decorator and agreed a max budget but not a fixed price, you wouldn't expect to then be invoiced above your agreed max budget

It's completely irrelevant what a private company would have charged. You chose the "convenience" of an NHS hospital, and that's what it cost.

Unfortunately (as it will add to their workload) I think frontline staff are going to have to be familiar with prices. A significant amount of people using the Nhs are not entitled to free treatment and we need to collect the money.
My mil (not British) needed a gp appointment. The receptionist knew exactly the cost and she paid up. She had, of course, to say that the treatment was much better in her home country!