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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that if you are paying to see a consultant privately......

67 replies

GrimpenMire · 06/02/2020 07:44

.....and you sent him a timeline/summary of your condition a month before the consultation date. It's reasonable to expect him to have read it prior to the consultation or at least be prepared to read it in the consulation so he has all the background information he needs to be able to help you.
He had a summary of it in front of him but he hadn't even written that summary. It was clear as he was squinting at it and trying to understand. The upshot of this is that he didn't 'get' the problem at all. Had he read it, he would have got it. AIBU or cheeky to expect this of him. £240 that shitshow is going to cost me and I'm no further forward.
He wanted me to fill hi9m in on all the background but I wrote the summary because I'm off my tits on pain relief and didn't want to miss anything out.

OP posts:
PhilCornwall1 · 06/02/2020 08:30

I'd have thought he would have read it. I saw a Rheumatologist privately and he had read everything that was sent to him beforehand. I'd expect them to at least prep beforehand if they are sent something.

If you are paying, you expect a decent service.

Original poster
GrimpenMire · 06/02/2020 08:55

I paid £250 PhilCornwall1 I feel ripped off. The whole thing is far too big a deal for me to not send him a load of background information. This was my one chance to get well and as a result of this injury I haven't worked since January of 2017 so money is tight. Had he even had a copy on the desk in front of him I would have stood half a chance!
He didn't though. He went in cold. I felt he decided what he was going to do and say early on and from then, didn't listen to me. I am no further forward now.

OP posts:
HugoSpritz · 06/02/2020 09:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

woodchuck99 · 06/02/2020 09:02

Yes, he certainly should have read it. I have a lot of hospital appointments for different conditions and I can tell they have been reading my notes before my appointment. Not listening to you is also not good. The fact that it's private doesn't make any difference. That just means you get an appointment sooner.

TriangleBingoBongo · 06/02/2020 09:03

I agree he should have atleast read it whilst you were there.

woodchuck99 · 06/02/2020 09:03

The fee would cover the consultation period usually. if there was pre-reading to be done you should have also agreed a fee for that time also though.

Don't be ridiculous. They can't conduct her consultation without reading the notes properly and if they don't do it before they have to do it during.

notanotherjigsawpiece · 06/02/2020 09:04

Private care = quicker care, not necessarily better care

BadgertheBodger · 06/02/2020 09:05

It is incredibly annoying but IME they don’t look at anything before they see you. I also take a timeline with me as otherwise we don’t get through the full history even with an hour. My advice would be to take a hard copy with you and expect to talk them through it. If you’re struggling, take someone with you and explain to the dr they are there to help as you’re struggling on painkillers. Hopefully between you you can then give a brief summary. I also find it really helps to be clear on what you want the outcome to be - do you want a particular test, diagnosis, would it help to involve a multi-disciplinary team, what treatment options do you have.

Flowers it’s bloody tough and you have my sympathies

Original poster
GrimpenMire · 06/02/2020 09:09

I just wondered if I was being unreasonable.

Even if he had a copy of what I had sent him he could have read it in the consultation but he had a summarised copy and it hadn't been summarised by him. He was mystified by it because you can't summarise what I had sent. It's all gone on so long there's a lot of detail and everything was relevant to where I am now. He asked me to tell him what had gone on. It was near impossible and I was very stressed already without feeling like I had this one shot and one shot only when I had tried to mitigate this feeling by sending him the paperwork I already had.

I have had two episodes in A and E recently with this and both times the Dr.s in A and E said I need urgent revisionary surgery. I told his this at the outset and his response was, "Well, we'll see about that shall we?" I fel on the back foot from then on in to be honest.

OP posts:
ChicCroissant · 06/02/2020 09:09

I've taken a summary with me, and handed it over when I was unable to talk and he was fine with reading it on the spot (facial pain which decided to demonstrate itself fully during the consultation!).

However, I am wondering if you paid for the consultation because your usual GP/consultants don't agree with you over something OP - part of your frustration may be that the private consultant didn't agree with you about your issue? Is that the case?

ChicCroissant · 06/02/2020 09:10

Cross-post there!

Original poster
GrimpenMire · 06/02/2020 09:13

It would have taken four minutes to read tops.

He sent me for a diagnostic test. I have alaready gone through this stage though. I had one of these tests on the NHS and the other I paid for and I paid £165. He said there was only Dr. *** that he trusted to do this and I booked up with this man but the cost was over £800! I have cancelled because I feel I have already gone through this stage of diagnosis. It's already been established what the problem is and as I say, I haven't worked since January fo 2017 so money is short

OP posts:
Original poster
GrimpenMire · 06/02/2020 09:16

ChicCroissant No. My GP has referred me to him although I had to find him. I have had failed implant surgery in my spine. The fix I had was experimental at the time although it has now been approved by NICE. I should never have had it. I was not a suitable candidate but I didn't know that at the time. My GP had no idea who to send me to so I took advice from the company that makes the implants and he was the recommended person.

OP posts:
CrotchetyQuaver · 06/02/2020 09:26

You've paid for this "consultation", so I would have no hesitation in writing again to express your disappointment that due to the poor summary of the notes you sent in advance you feel the consultation was a waste of your time and hard earned cash. I'd also go on to comment that passing you on to another doctor for tests at great expense when you're unable to work and therefore afford such luxuries is unhelpful.

If you don't feed back, they won't know.

Can your GP refer you on the NHS to this expensive doctor for the tests?

I'd take a friend along in future who will speak up your behalf. It's absolutely reasonable to expect them to read the notes beforehand especially if you're paying and absolutely reasonable for you (or your friend) to politely point that out. My experience is they're less likely to patronise/fob you off if you've taken someone along too.

Original poster
GrimpenMire · 06/02/2020 09:33

CrotchetyQuaver Yes I could be referred for the diagnosic test but it would be a wait of months and this consultant said his friend Dr. was the only one he trusted to do it the way he wanted. I thus felt tied in to him and his £800 price tag! I booked but cancelled when I found out it was almost £700 more than I had paid less than two years ago for the exact same diagnostic test.

OP posts:
AlunWynsKnee · 06/02/2020 09:35

YANBU. Last private consultant I saw also works at NHS hospital in our area and he had looked at my blood results history on the NHS system before my first appointment with him at the private hospital.

Movement05 · 06/02/2020 09:43

Private does not mean quicker and it does not always mean faster. It depends on the condition and the availability of the consultant. Sometimes they are only working in one place. It also does not mean better treatment. And the last time I went to a private hospital it was heaving with people like me who thought that if they dished out the £250+ then they would get their health condition resolved quicker and better. All it did me on that occasion was get me to a consultant who gave me the benefit of 20 minutes of his time and then pronounced that I could get what I needed on the NHS and that he would write a note to my GP which would speed things up. It did not. My GP promptly said that was not the way they did things and that under NICE guidelines the the treatment the private consultant suggested (who the GP had referred me to in the first place) was not available, at least not until a lot further down the line. So I ended up wasting £250 only to go around in circles.

That is not to say that I would never go private. But I would consider the options extremely carefully first.

Wombatstew · 06/02/2020 09:48

Are there any fb groups for the illness that you are suffering or fb support groups for the implant surgery that could join and see if anyone recommend an alternative consultant?
YANBU to expect him to have read your notes beforehand or even during the consultation. I would definitely feel like finding an alternative Dr.

Original poster
GrimpenMire · 06/02/2020 09:56

Thanks everyone so far. What I have is pretty rare and why I haven't been dealt with appropriately by any agency I have been sent to by my GP. I have been botched basically and everyone is reluctant to sort anothers bodge jobs it seems.

OP posts:
PhilCornwall1 · 06/02/2020 10:47

The fee would cover the consultation period usually. if there was pre-reading to be done you should have also agreed a fee for that time also though.

I don't agree with this at all. Whilst I'm not a medical consultant, part of my job is to provide consultancy. There is always preparatory work to do before the consultancy takes place, it's expected. If you provide consultancy and you are not prepared, you do not provide the level of service expected and let's be honest, should want to provide as a professional.

Original poster
GrimpenMire · 06/02/2020 10:56

Thank you PhilCornwall1 I sent a copy of my timeline to this guys NHS secretary, to his private secretary and a copy to him at the NHS hospital he works out of. Three copies! I drove over an hour to get to see him and I feel I have wasted my time and he mine.

I think I will email his private secretary and say all this.

OP posts:
Alsohuman · 06/02/2020 11:02

The private health sector cherry picks easy, highly profitable cases, it doesn’t want to know about patients with complex conditions. If you can’t afford the diagnostic costs, how are you going to pay for the treatment?

PhilCornwall1 · 06/02/2020 11:09

The private health sector cherry picks easy, highly profitable cases, it doesn’t want to know about patients with complex conditions. If you can’t afford the diagnostic costs, how are you going to pay for the treatment?

A decent consultant doesn't think this way. I saw mine privately and he confirmed my illness. I have been seeing him for the last 3 years and will do pretty much forever (or until he retires).

He could have kept me on his private books, but said it would be best to "flip" me over to see him on the NHS. I wasn't worried either way, as I wouldn't be paying the bills anyway, so his money was guaranteed.

Original poster
GrimpenMire · 06/02/2020 11:15

Alsohuman I have already been diagnosed. I have partially paid for this myself. It's complex. I can't tell you the full story as it's outing and you wouldn't believe the cock ups that have been made in my case.

I get that this guy has not interested in mending me. He made that clear from the outset in the consultation. It would need the weight of a referral from another surgeon to get that level of care not from 'just' a GP. I do think he could have at least come into the room with a tiny idea of the reason I was there though! He was making it up on the fly, didn't 'get it' at all and wanted to then send me to a mate to pay over the odds to go through a process I have already been through years before.

I think I will write to the NHS now about all of this. I have no hope of getting well. I think I can have these implants removed under The Human Rights Act. I would need to engage with the NHS for that though so I think that will have to be my next move.

OP posts:
bohemia14 · 06/02/2020 11:21

In my experience when I've seen consultants (private) the first question they invariably ask is 'why are you here?' Although they may have notes and have read them they want to hear what the patient has to say. They also prefer to decide the next steps rather than you tell them what needs to be done/what other doctors have said needs to be done. It just doesn't work that way, whether you're paying or not.

You sound very distressed with your situation and I hope you can get some way forward agreed.