Has anyone gone private for a child's ENT appointment

[Blueseudeshoes]

Posting for traffick apologies if there are other threads on this I'm just at my whits end.

My son is 3 and due to reocurring ear and throat infections has been referred to ENT by GP. This was a few months ago now and he is still unwell every few weeks, tried multiple antibiotics they work for a week or two and it's something else. Rung the hospital where he has been referred and have been told his appointment will be a 12 month wait I obviously do not want to wait this long although I understand the extreme pressure the NHS is under he's suffering and I'm worried sick and feel helpless

Has anyone went private for an ENT referral for a child? How much was it consultation, treatment etc if so?

Sorry if I've posted in the wrong place just feeling miserable and helpless seeing him suffer:(

My two have seen various consultants within the private sector, over the years, one being ENT, at the time you didn’t need a GP referral for ENT, I think the initial consultation was about £250. Finding an ENT consultant that see’s children isn’t always easy, Google search, but bear in mind private consultants are very busy too atm. Good luck.

@Roselilly36 thanks alot for replying I'll get on Google and have a look!

Yes, this was a couple of years ago and it was £250 for the initial consultation plus 'report' (a print off piece of a4 with a brief summary of findings written on it.)
Treatment costs will obviously depends on what he needs.

Sorry didn’t answer completely, my two went with ear problems, both ears micro suction. Didn’t need anything else done, but usually if surgery is needed you can ask to go back to NHS or they can often give a fixed cost for the op and aftercare.

Also as mentioned above not all private hospitals treat children. We used Spire Hospitals, I think they have several locations.

Great thank you both for your replies at this point I'll pay anything to help him he's miserable

Yes. NHS waiting list was ridiculous and my child was in pain. I asked at a local private hospital and they were very helpful. We didn't have insurance so they did a non-insured package deal.

@AmandaHoldensLips great thanks for your help

We did and it was so worth it for my DSS who was 3 at the time. He had sleep apnoea and was getting lots of coughs and sore throats - doctor thought it might be his tonsils but it was an 18 month wait so we went private and it was all sorted within about 6 weeks and his tonsils were taken out. Different hospitals charge different amounts but a consultation usually is about £250/£300 - if you can afford it it’s well worth it in my opinion. We used our savings but as I say worth it.

I haven't (although considering it for DC2) but DC1, when he was 4, saw a brilliant ENT consultant through the NHS who also practises privately and I would highly recommend him so if you're London based then feel free to PM me for details.

Not ENT but used private for my children before and you're looking at around £200 for initial consultation and then treatment varies after that. I used spire health and they were great - Google is your friend here and will let you know a treatment centre where they do ENT for children.

I was referred back to the NHS afterwards for medication etc. and they have been great.

I nearly did but the NHS came through in the end.
To see the consultant that he would have seen on the NHS in a local private hospital was £180 and then movement up the waiting list.
I felt bad seeking it out but 100% would have paid it to end his pain.

I went privately with my 2 year old. If you're near London I'd recommend Mr. Tweedie. His reviews online speak volumes.

Thank you all very much for your replies I've been intouch with Spire and will be going through them 😊

Sorry to be negative but I did, and it was a complete waste of money! Waiting lists where we are were 3 years, so we did all the things people advised - looked for someone who also worked for the local NHS, got personal recommendations etc. It was about £200 for the initial appointment. He said her adenoids and tonsils were fine, and focused on allergies.

His advice and treatment achieved precisely nothing. It included a dairy free diet which was a total pain in the neck but she stuck to it.

When we eventually got to see the NHS consultant, he took one look at her adenoids and said "those need to come out". He also said he'd never recommend a dairy free diet for a child that age, especially a girl, because of the potential future impact on osteoporosis.

She had her adenoids out and it solved the problem.

Those who paid for private paediatrician tonsil removal, how much was this please roughly? My little boy is being referred shortly so I don't know how long the wait is in our area, but he's already down to the 2nd percentile for weight from recurrent tonsillitis since November, I don't see how he'd last a year or more in the queue.

@Blueseudeshoes are you sure they didn't mean 12 week wait?

@pollyput yes I'm sure I've been given the exact date in December 😒

Yes , we did last month , appointment with it 4 days and was £170 with Nuffield in Newcastle
ask for a NHS ent doctor ,
we went a few years ago when the problems started and he then saw her on the NHS

Hi OP my DS kept having recurrent ear infections when he was younger, we waited months for an NHS ENT consultation to be told the waiting time for surgery which he needed (grommets and adenoids removal) would be 18 months.

We went private and they were removed 2 months later. I'm glad we did, as lockdown happened a few months after this and I hate to think how long we would have waited on NHS treatment. Cost about 3k all in, this was 2019.

We tried but really hard to find someone remotely local to us prepared to see children - and if they would have done, there are no private hospitals within hours who will do the operations (rightly highly regulated) .

If you're nearer London it may be possible. I joined a FB group for parents that was helpful with recommendations.

We got seen on the NHS more quickly than originally thought - I contacted the secretary and explained we would take any cancellation at late notice and commit to being there. This worked. We were telephoned a couple of hours before a gap in a clinic and went. Once seen we were then in the system and everything else happened more quickly.

@ILoveMyYuccaPlant thank you that's really helpful glad you got sorted it's really hard to see them suffer 😩

I did for my DS but it was a number of years ago. The consultant we were referred to under the NHS also had a private practice. We saw them once as a private patient and then follow up appointments were via the NHS. Phone the consultants secretary you have been referred to and ask if the have a private practice.

@WaffleDogBlanket I hadn't even thought about asking for a cancellation I will call today! Thanks for your help

It was around £150 for DS - recurrent perforated ear drum. It’s still ongoing but I wasn’t happy with the GP response: they were quite dismissive about it and DS’s ear was leaking horrible thick pus. We went via BUPA.