AIBU to ask how A&E works in private hospitals?

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This is a really simplistic question, so sorry in advance! I'm just interested, and wasn't sure where to ask it.

I was watching the last episode of Trust Me (about a nurse posing as an A&E doctor) last night, and in the episode they had a few patients brought in with chemical and thermal burns after an accident at a factory or something similar. It was really difficult to watch and quite upsetting.

Anyway, this got me thinking about the NHS, and how with different governments, feelings about the NHS can vary. So for example, under the last Labour government, the NHS was seen as fairly important and was prioritised by the government.

However, under the last couple of Conservative governments, there seems to be a feeling that the Conservatives are pushing for people to use private healthcare rather than using the NHS. My question is: AIBU to ask how A and E works in private hospitals? Is it the same sort of thing as in the NHS?

opinionated - I wasn't claiming the private urgent care centres were the same as NHS - I hold no brief for them. Obviously, they are not 24-hour centres so not as good. I was just replying to the statements several posters had made that there were no emergency departments in private hospitals.

They are quite useful for overseas visitors who have no entitlement to NHS care but have to see a doctor as a matter of urgency.
wallops of course they charge for absolutely everything - they are a business, not a charity.

Basically private hospitals pick and choose the lucrative work and shunt you to NHS whenever something becomes too serious. NHS is where are the university (is specialist, most cutting edge) hospitals are. If something goes wrong during a procedure at a private hospital you will usually be transferred to the nearest NHS hospital. There is no such thing as a private hospital A&E.

If you think about it that stands to reason - they will not treat you unless they know you can pay, and cannot/have no time to determine that if you unconscious/in a coma/leg falling off/ about to die etc.

Copayments are a very bad idea. They simply stop people who are poor getting the treatment they need. It won't be the very poorest people who suffer as they will get it free. It will be people working, on not great money, and the self employed

This is effectively what used to happen in France. The last government made top-up insurance (to cover the copayment) all but obligatory - has to be offered by employers to all employees.

In France now most people attending hospital will receive their care free at the point of delivery - there are financial transactions in the background of course (as with all social insurance systems) but the patient pays nothing up front.

I live in the Middle East and we have the American system here. I actually like it more than I thought I would as I can shop around and go straight to the best specialist whenever I need to, without a GP as a gatekeeper.

On the A&E front, all of the private hospitals here have 24 hour A&E including the women and children's hospitals. I know which ones offer the best care and have the best doctors as I use them for more day to day stuff, so I would go to one of those.

You have to present your ID on arrival so they can get clearance from the insurance company, but in a real emergency they would treat first and do admin later.

Not only are there no private A&Es, but if you have elective surgery in a private hospital and something goes wrong, they will call an NHS ambulance and have you shipped over to the nearest NHS hospital ASAP.

In Germany it's mandatory to have insurance. How good your insurance is, is down to you. It isn't clear at first glance whether your insurance is good or bad.

DH never went to A+E so can't vouch for that, but when he went to eye clinic we promptly found out out his insurance was crap. The essential test he needed to monitor his condition wasn't covered, no-one bothered to tell him and they were proposing to just sit watch him slowly go blind.

Was only when I kicked up a fuss and insisted he had the extra test - which he had to pay for - that they noticed his visual loss. He then needed surgery.

Visual loss is sadly permanent - perhaps is would not have been so severe if he had been having the proper monitoring he would have had on the NHS.

Copayments are a very bad idea. They simply stop people who are poor getting the treatment they need.

I have always assumed that if we did have co-payments for, e.g., visiting a GP, that they would work in much the same way as prescription payments do - i.e. young, old and poor would be exempt and everyone else would have a cap through buying some kind of 'season ticket' like you do if you need lots of prescriptions.

You may or may not be right that the cost of collecting the money and the additional costs caused by the irrational avoiding treatment would outweigh the money received and any other benefits (fewer missed appointments, perhaps). Who knows - that would be a calculation to be done. The fact that we persist with prescription payments does suggest that they're seen as a net financial win.

From what I've understood, presumably the NHS will have to continue to exist in some form or another, even if its services are really reduced. Even if most of the NHS is stripped down over the next few years (however long that is), we'll still always need NHS A&E departments

Worst case scenario, the NHS would be privatised, but healthcare would still be subsidised by public money. Like the railways, schools which have become academies, the banks which had to be rescued 10 years ago - that sort of thing. So those with no money would get their treatment paid for them, and those with some money would have to pay. Like we do now at the dentist.

Worst case scenario, the NHS would be privatised, but healthcare would still be subsidised by public money. Like the railways, schools which have become academies, the banks which had to be rescued 10 years ago - that sort of thing. So those with no money would get their treatment paid for them, and those with some money would have to pay. Like we do now at the dentist.

I'd definitely be happy to pay. I think the NHS is a really valuable resource, and it does offer very, very good healthcare. It is in a very difficult situation now though.

I was under the impression there was a hush hush private A&E in London after reading a celeb drug related piece of blind gossip.

In the US system, in case it is not clear, if you end up in A&E without insurance, you'll have to pay for the ambulance ride (usually about $1000), and you will pay for any and all treatment, including life-saving treatment.

However, under the last couple of Conservative governments, there seems to be a feeling that the Conservatives are pushing for people to use private healthcare rather than using the NHS

where are you getting this "feeling" from . i certainly have never seen a government body telling people they should go private

Off-topic, but sort of related. If most A&E departments are run by the NHS, I wonder where the Royal Family go for A&E admission?

No such thing as A&E in private sector.

Some of the bmi hospitals in London have minor injuries. You pay £70 to be seen. I assume you pay for any other treatments.
I went when I was ill. It was a Saturday and couldn't face waiting 4 hours for a doctor in emdoc when I might just have flu! Got there and they immediately said I needed go to a and e as I had suspected sepsis and they would call
An ambulance if I didn't have a car! I left rambling on about paying. They never charged in the end (no treatment and spent 10 mins with docs). I spent a week in icu.

I'm sure I heard recently of a private A&E somewhere in London. Or was it a minor injury unit.

Even with obstetrics you are clearly told if it goes tits up you're straight into the NHS.

There's two private A&E in London that I know of. I don't know what happens if royalty or politicians etc need it, but as far as I know the private ones can only deal with very limited ranges of things. I'm guessing if you're a VIP you might go there to be assessed then packed off elsewhere in a private ambulance?

I don't know if things have have changed but 20 years ago my dad needed a very advanced procedure that was relatively new in doc world and we were told only NHS hospitals do work that's really groundbreaking? I don't know of that's still the case.

I suppose if they succeed in getting rid of the NHS we will just be billed for everything. I got taken to hospital in France via ambulance, that wasn't free, nor was subsequent medication. Travel insurance paid it but a citizen of France would just pay, I hope a subsidised rate?

Several in London have A&E departments. They will see anyone for free at A&E including follow ups. What people don't know is that they also accept NHS referrals for routine appointments - the level of service is much, much nicerz

We had prince Philip admitted to our a&e once (qmc). It was before I worked there though. We have a policy specifically for royal patients (they come with their own on-call doctors, including trauma specialists)

young, old and poor would be exempt and everyone else would have a cap

@daisybelle70 the problem with saying the poor would be exempt is where do you draw the line? There is always the risk that those just above the cut off can't afford treatment unless you are very generous in where you set that cut off. Our current government is not known for its generosity.

Since young and old would be exempt i.e. those who actually are the people who most use the NHS, then it would save very little money, and penalise those who are just above the poor level.
What I suspect is if this was introduced, very few people would have to pay, and then slowly more and more people would have to pay. And that would include kids whose parents are not poor or pensioners who are not poor. That is how unpopular policies are introduced. By stealth.

There is definitely a private A&E at a private hospital in Newport, but not for 'serious' cases. There's a flat fee for being seen, but obviously the price goes up if there's any treatment or follow up. I'm not sure what the few is- I've got the figure of about £70 in my head (I've never been- I've just heard people talk about it). I'm not even sure if it was a trial thing or permanent.

Yes- I've just checked and it definitely still exists, although it's billed as a minor injuries unit and it's only open from 10-6.