Has anyone used a private GP? How does it work? What happens to records of visits?

[sollylololo]

I'm thinking of seeing a private GP - for a number of reasons, eg that my NHS practice is very coercive. I want to get a health assessment without feeling bullied. I'd love to hear other people's accounts of using private GPs if you wouldn't mind sharing.

P.S. I'm not very well, so please no-one have a go at me! If cross about the existence of private healthcare, walk away...

I've been looking at the website of a private GP practice, and I just don't get how it fits in with the NHS. I could sign up the whole family; so all the dc's records would then be private??? Would I just ask the private GP to notify the NHS GP if something ought to go on their public health record?

I've used private health care in the UK system for several things. If scans, x-rays are involved then you get to keep them. The doctors kept their own notes.

You are the customer so if you wanted copies or indeed the records they would be yours to do whatever you wanted with them - you could pass them on to your NHS doctor then.

I don't have one, but my father and step-mother use one and think he is great - they've had excellent treatment both for minor ailments and when my father was diagnosed (thanks to the regular tests the GP did, which the NHS wouldn't) with prostate cancer a few years ago.

I like my NHS surgery, and my GPs, but would find a private one if I had too many problems there.

I've used a private GP (there is one who does appointments at my work).

My experiences were all fine. A few things to note:

The records do not go to your NHS GP. This means that your NHS GP would not have a full history next time you saw them.

The costs are, obviously, higher. You would need to pay for any tests, scans, prescriptions, referrals to specialists, etc. (Unless you have health insurance that covers these).

Have you considered finding a different NHS GP practice instead?

They won't automatically send your tests and consultation records to your NHS GP but they will probably give you the option for a fee.

I would keep (or change) your NHS GP but use a private GP service for those things you are uncomfortable with. That way, you should have the best of both worlds.

Thank you so much. I'm liking the sound of it for myself. It does sound a bit daft to pay for what is supposed to be free but honestly recent experiences have been with my GP. I can't be arsed to change the whole family over to another NHS one tbh.

Just playing devil's advocate for a minute - I certainly don't intend to do it! - but in theory you could do the rounds of a number of private GPs, they could all be prescribing conflicting drugs for you, and no-one would be the wiser? Obviously you're not supposed to do it; it would be at your own risk, I suppose, if you were stupid enough to do it. Seems a bit of a weakness of the system, though?

Just how badly have you been treated by your current GP?
You 'can't be arsed' to change the whole family? It only takes a 20 minute session at another practice!

If you're unhappy with treatment/advice received- speak to your practice manager, vote with your feet and change GPs- GPs are very keen to get people signed onto their books- more money for them.

Very confrontational, DarkSkies. Do you work at my GP surgery?

It would take me a great deal longer than 20 minutes to do the research necessary to find a competent GP surgery.

I used a private GP. We first went to him when our GPs refused to refer us to a neurologist for ds2's epilepsy. The consultant ds2 was seeing at the local hospital was only a paediatrician with an 'interest' in epilepsy.

I know we could have fought it and demanded a second opinion but as far as I am aware (and I did look into it) within the NHS, if you are already under the care of one consultant you can ask for a second opinion but there is no urgency in finding one for you.

NHS choices page on second opinions

My son's seizures were not getting better under the regime the paediatrician was recommending and she wanted to increase the drug he was on (which was giving him behavioural problems) rather than trying a different drug. The paediatrician explicitly told us she wouldn't refer him on to a neurologist as his epilepsy was uncomplicated and (according to her) the neurologist would have only suggested the same regime as she was using in any case. However we were prepared to pay money to be seen by a different doctor sooner rather than later.

One thing I found particularly annoying, although this is beside the point really, was that he only ended up under the care of this consultant because we had taken him into A&E following some bad seizures. My older son had actually been referred directly to a neurologist by the same GPs who refused to refer ds2 to a neurologist for displaying symptoms that only possibly pointed to epilepsy (and turned out not to be). Also, the paediatric neurologist we ended up seeing privately, said that in her NHS trust, all children with epilepsy were referred to her rather than to a general paediatrician. It really seemed to be completely unfair that ds2 had ended up with a generalist instead of a specialist.

As other people have said (those who have used private GPs) none of the notes go to your NHS GP at all unless you want them to. I tried to keep them all in the loop and copied all the letters etc. to both places but I found the NHS doctors were all very sniffy about us having gone private and went on about how it wasn't ethical to have more than one GP and we should think about what was in the best interest of our son (as if that wasn't what we were doing in the first place).

Having said all this, the rest of the family stayed with the NHS GP - and why not?

Interestingly, we have since moved to Australia where there is no obligation to stay with one GP's surgery and you can be registered with as many GPs as you like. It makes me wonder about doctors making diagnoses with an incomplete knowledge of a patient's medical history, and indeed the possibility of a patient doing exactly what sollylololo mentioned. But at least you are not stuck with consultants you don't want - and if a GP treats you badly it is very easy to vote with your feet and just never go back there again.

Not sure where the extra asterisks came from up there! Also, sorry I didn't notice you were the OP sollylololo. I guess it comes down to personal responsibility rather than expecting the NHS to check everything for you.

I think you just summed up all my thinking, HighFibreDiet. However, the 'family doctor' idea seems to have gone out of the window, now, anyway; GPs never seem to use info they ought to be aware of from the rest of the family (eg inherited conditions), and never really read much in the way of notes IME.

Very confrontational, DarkSkies. Do you work at my GP surgery?

Good comeback

I have a private GP. I trust him implicitly. And if he feels we need something like a referral, he with deal with it immediately. He is worth every penny (about GBP 120 per consultation).

Lots of people I know have a private GP and an NHS one. This makes sense as it can get expensive if your DC get sick often.

Also I meant to say that ds1 only possibly had epilepsy, and turned out not to have. He was the one they referred to a neurologist. Ds2, who definitely had epilepsy, was the one who was under a paediatrician and they refused to refer to a neurologist.

You do tend to get what you want with a private GP. You have to pay for it all, though.

Thank you very much, Marie. I did make a plea for clemency at the outset, although I'm feeling better today. I hate people who have a go at particularly vulnerable people.

I took DS to a private GP at our local hospital once. It cost about £50 (this was more than 10 years ago). He had, ahem swelling testicles and we didn't fancy sitting in A & E all night with drunken people and it was a Saturday night.

He needed an antibiotic which the GP quickly presecribed and they had at the hospital's pharmacy. Well worth the money so as not to sit in A & E for hours. If he had needed to be admitted it could have been done by that GP cos we are lucky enough to have private med insurance.

Thanks, Pippop1. Sounds like they should have more of them at hospitals. We have private med cover, but I don't think it'll cover a private GP?

We didn't have medical cover initially but then dp decided it was worth getting it. Didn't cover the GP but in general it covered any consultants fees and scans, blood tests etc. once referred. Mind you it didn't cover ds2's epilepsy being a pre-existing condition, and it was a big pain getting the money back from the insurers for other conditions too. I definitely wouldn't recommend AXA-PPP and the consultants all seemed to feel they were among the worst (i.e. late payments and refusing to pay for certain things).

I am very interested in this as I find it extrmely difficult to get through on the phone to my GP practice (and they only rake phone bookings), I never see the same doctor each time and thwey arer not really interested in doing anything about my health complaints. How do you go about finding a private GP? I can't imagine asking my NHS GP for a recommendation.

A friend has recommended a private practice to me, so I'll go with that one. I would ask your friends/contacts, Crystalglasses. As said above, if they treat you badly, at least you can walk away; but that makes them less likely to treat you badly anyway, or they'd have no patients.

I probably wasn't clear solly. I paid for the private GP myself (not covered under medical insurance) but in my head was that if he needed scans or something like that then the private GP could order them to be done at the hospital and hopefully we could have them there and then.

I would imagine that a private GP would work well for some ailments (e.g. what is this lump? and not for others e.g. ongoing diabetes).

I'm feeling better just at the thought of seeing a private GP.