possible to get dad moved from NHS hospital ward to private hospital?

[falstaff1980]

My dad is probably in his last weeks and just called me begging to be taken out of the NHS hospital where he is right now. The doctor told me yesterday they were waiting on results of a CT scan that they should have this morning, but were pessimistic that there would be anything they can fix, and he'd probably be put on an end-of-life plan. As I understand it, such a plan requires an occupational therapist to come to the home, and might take time to get organised. Is it possible to get my dad moved to a private hospital today or tomorrow where he can have a private room, until he's able to come home?

I don’t know anything about private care at this stage of life, but has a hospice been discussed? Make sure that the hospital’s own palliative care team become involved after today’s results, if they aren’t already.

https://www.hospiceuk.org/hospice-care-finder

Also, contact your local private hospitals and ask what they provide, as it will vary.

www.bupa.co.uk/care-services/what-type-of-care-do-i-need/palliative-care

Thanks, my dad seems to think that private hospitals with private doctors must exist, but from my research they only seem to offer consultations, outpatient stuff, planned operations. There seem to be no private alternatives to A&E and acute care wards.

It looks like there are only nursing homes, which have no doctors.

I guess I will have to go and explain to my dad that he has to stay where he is until the doctors are finished with him, and decided what care he needs going forward.

You can get out of hospital to home pretty quickly if everyone pulls together , that’s what we did with my mum and we had to have a hospital bed , hoist etc . Hope you get it sorted out @falstaff1980 💐

What difference does he think a private hospital would make? Why is that any different to staying in the NHS hospital?

No, I tried this for myself when I was miserable in an NHS hospital.

Your best bet is to try and get him home I’m afraid.

They can move things along fairly quickly but you need to be on the case constantly

@BishyBarnyBee i assume he wants a private room and is currently on a ward .

That makes sense, of course, and if you are very poorly it can feel excruciating to be around the bustle of a ward. Also, we all know the NHS is ridiculously stretched and he may not be getting the basic care he needs. However, it can be quite lonely in a private room, and the medical care for acute cases is not always as good as the NHS.

The trouble is that the moment you go private you are effectively discharged from the NHS system, and you don't yet know what his needs are going to be or what the prognosis is.

All you can do is be a very vocal advocate for him and keep the pressure on to find out what's going on.

I had to literally sit in the corridor all day long when my dad was in this situation. It was totally frustrating and getting answers was impossible. I wish I had pushed harder.

One option for you would be to call BUPA and ask them for advice. You don't have to be a BUPA member. You can self-fund in their facilities if you're not insured.

If it is end-of-life care then you might be best to speak to a hospice. Most are run as charities and are wonderful places. (I used to volunteer in one and it was an amazing place.)

There may be a private room available but often on acute care wards they're for people who are dying.

Sorry, I meant the people who are dying imminently. It might be worth speaking to the consultant in charge of his care and see what is realistic.

I'm so sorry.

I don’t know how things run there.
In Australia, if you leave a public hospital for private, you effectively go to the bottom of the list for publicly funded services. The patients in the public hospitals get priority as the hospital needs to get patients out to create beds. Patients in Private Hospitals have to wait and can wait weeks, or pay out of their own pocket for visiting nursing services etc.
If he is nearing end of life, focus on getting him home with supports.

If he has money, you can arrange home care yourself through an agency and have a live-in or visiting carer. You would need to liaise with your dad's social worker at the hospital. That's what I did for my dad. The SW said if we leave creating a care package for him to her then it could take weeks, but if you can set it up yourself it will be quicker.

She arranged OT etc to come out to the house and arrange a hospital bed etc.

We managed it within a few days. However, she was a good SW and this was pre-Covid.

I'm afraid I cannot recommend a care agency though as all of them I dealt with were appalling. It was luck of the draw if a decent carer was assigned to us.

His SW might be able to suggest the most reliable care agency in your area. Although they don't have to be local, many operate nationally.

I don't think a private hospital would be able to help. They aren't staffed by doctors 24/7 (although would have on call, and some are private wings of NHS hospital) and there is no private A and E. Private doctors tend to be NHS doctors who do a day or two a week privately for people having planned operations.

A hospice or care agency may be a better bet?

If he is end of life ask to see the palliative care consultant. They might help him get a hospice bed.
Hospices are lovely calm places with great care.

A good few years ago now, but our experience was the private hospital was geared up for quick in and out knee ops, and didn't have the ability to cope with the chronically ill.

It looks like there are only nursing homes, which have no doctors. Dad’s nursing home has an Advanced Nursing Practitioner visiting weekly and will call a GP if needed, and, of course, has nurses on duty 24 hours a day. It’s not a bad solution.

A nursing home might be what he is looking for. Staff and nurses there 24/7. private room. Some specialise in palliative care. They will also offer activities, entertainment etc if he wants and is able.

That said, he needs to have a continuing nursing need. If he doesn’t have a nursing need, the home may say that any short term nursing needs will have to be met by District Nurses

This is the best idea.

In a similar situation a hospice wouldn’t take my relative as they required no r treatment or pain meds.

we used a private nursing home, which offered palliative placements and was closely linked to the hospice as it was in close geographical proximity. It was definitely nicer, calmer, more consistent staff than the nhs hospital. There was more privacy and dignity.

Ask the NHS hospital if they have any private rooms / wards, lots do. This is your best option.

There may also be a 'utility' room, this is a side ward which if it is not in use you can pay for, you are only paying for the room, the treatment is still NHS.

Another option that is common in other parts of the world is to get a 'private nurse'.

You can also ask your father's consultant if they do private work and which hospital they use. The easiest way to do this is ask for the contact details of her/his consultant's 'private secretary'.

There are no private A and E departments OP

I think a bit of stockholm syndrome might have occurred, I saw my dad today and he wasn't complaining about being there anymore, seemed pretty resigned to being there. They are referring him to palliative care, so hopefully he's out soon and better looked after.

Good update OP.