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.

I am sorry that you have health concerns- it is deeply worrying when we do not know what is wrong with us (or family)- and that anxiety pervades life, we cannot switch it off, it is always present.
You asked people not to have a go at you for using private healthcare- I didn't, we use it ourselves (hence me actually opening the thread in the first place!)

However I do not have much time for people who think they deserve better than their children, who 'cannot be arsed' to take action to improve a situation they are unhappy with. I think maybe I misunderstood your sentence: " I can't be arsed to change the whole family over to another NHS one tbh."- I see now you meant you'll simply change them all to private not leave them at current GPs, so sorry about that.

That said- reading your first 5 posts (what I had to go on when I posted) you come across as a malingerer, unhappy at being told there's nothing wrong, especially when you post about obtaining multiple meds from multiple practices- can you see why people might find that a little odd?

I said you need to approach the practice manager simply because if you feel you have been bullied and coerced they need to know about it so that they can put things right- they aren't mind readers, if people don't tell them there is a problem they cannot rectify it.

We have a private GP as well as our NHS GP which we use when we're unable to get an appointment with the NHS GP, which is happening more and more frequently or when we want a referral quickly. Our NHS GP's are actually excellent, it's just getting to see them even with a fairly sick child is often close to impossible and despite raising this issue with them a number of times they don't appear to have acted on the problem. The private GP spends more time, is a bit more chatty and charges me £40 a go but other than that there's not a huge difference.

My exH signed me up to his private GP and I would say that if you have medical insurance it's a good idea. They seem far quicker to refer you on to consultants/specialists than a NHS GP.

That said I have a NHS GP now.

Have a think.. do you want to see a private GP or are you wanting a referal so you can see a consultant privately?

I have done both, private GP to get DC Chicken Pox vaccination, referral because my GP was incompetant and would not refer me to the neurologist I needed to see.

Even if you are paying, BUPA et al need a GP referal. For me, I took a very firm and clear phone call to the practice manager to get the said referal but it was worth it - seen the next day, admitted to hospital the next afternoon.

Later filed formal complaint..... longer story....

DarkSkies: thank you for your heartfelt apology for having completely misconstrued my OP and jumped to weird conclusions. I accept your retraction.

I see from the posting history under your current name that you frequently have to apologise for very rude and inappropriate posts.

Your second post is as whacko as the first.

I?m not prepared to divulge masses of medical info, but something happened at the weekend which necessitates medical attention. If I see my NHS GP, they will bounce me into the local hospital PDQ for invasive tests. The last thing they ever do is tell me there is nothing wrong! I need to discuss the pros and cons of the invasive tests with a competent GP. I need this sorted urgently because it?s interfering with my dressage schedule. It?s a rare thing indeed for a sportswoman of competition standard to be a malingerer, which is what you have, in your wisdom, decided that I am. All my dc also ride to a high standard and none have any health problems. Your concern for my dc is, however, deeply touching. Anxiety and hypochondria aren't on the menu in our family: we are too busy.

In the dim and distant past I worked with people with mental health problems, some of whom were reformed drug addicts. Many of the latter would certainly have jumped at the chance to go round the doctors? surgeries collecting prescriptions and selling on the surplus pills to anyone who would buy them. I have also worked on international public health policies. It seems interesting to me that private GPs appear to be an anomaly, defying the whole point of having a ?family doctor? through whom health services are channelled. To be able to consult an infinite chain of medics, none of whom are obliged to pass on any info, seems a little odd, to use your words. No-one would ever describe me as ?a little odd?, however. It is possible for a woman to have an academic interest in public health policy, and a degree of intellectual curiosity.

I think you assume that I am a newbie. But it?s not worth calling your MN mates to come over to this thread to rough me up a bit; I?m not a newbie. Your time would be better spent asking your own GP about projection.

Okay - whacko? You're obviously seriously stressed about whatever it is that has happened to you

Frequent apologies? I apologised once on a religious thread, as religion is a highly emotive subject and I thought I had upset someone.
My apology to you was not 'heartfelt'- it was mollifying; a sop because you seemed to take my post the wrong way and sounded pissed off. I have AS and sometimes I say things that are a little too brusque so I apologise- this is learned behaviour, it makes life easier.

My MN mates? Who would they be then? I have certainly never called upon people off-thread for support, I have no need to. The people I tend to congregate with, well it's laughable at the thought of any of them 'roughing you up', seriously I am very amused at the thought of my sweet post-natal sisters roughing anyone up, though I am seriously tempted to send them over here for a laugh!

I don't assume anyone is a newbie- been here far too long for that. I don't care how long a poster's history is, 'words on a screen' etc.

As both a GP and private GP i feel i should offer a word of warning..........The reason on the whole GPs are good is they do not overinvestigate in the main. Specialists, while in certain circumstances are the first point of call for problems, are not idal for many situations . GP are very good, in general, in managing uncertainty without tests which are not needed.
One way of looking at it is specialists treat the illness while GPs often treat the patient................don't forget if your GP feels you do not need at see a consultant they base that on a minimum of 10 years training (the time it take to be a GP)

Food for thought..........

in my experience, this whole thing of the gp having your whole history is neither here nor there since neither my gp nor any other at our practice ever seems to have read my notes before i've seen them. they always seem clueless as to my background.

having had very little support from my nhs gp's, i have taken to seeing specialists directly and that has been fantastic. although bloody expensive.

I have private medical insurance and regaularly ask my NHS GP to refer me to a specialist -usually one I have been recommended by friends or family. I then go and see the specialist who copies the notes to the NHS GP including anything prescribed. I get the prescriptions from the NHS GP, private prescriptions can be very expensive.

There have been times where I and other members of my family have gone through a private GP but at £150 I am quite selective about this. It worked extremely well for mental health issues. Got an immediate referral for my son to a Psychiatrist which has been claimable on PPP for the last year and a bit.

It is important that the notes and any drugs prescribed are sent to the NHS GP otherwise they could prescribe something that clashes.

To the poster whose son has epilepsy - a few years ago my son was having 'funny turns', I went stright to the private GP and he referred immedialtley to a paediatric neurologist who did a full assessment and got an EEG booked that week at GOSH. It turned out that it was not epilepsy but the speed of it all was very reassuring.

Sometimes I do feel slightly guilty about using the system, but none of the GPs at my NHS practice have ever complained in fact it reduces their work load. As long as they are updated with everything they are fine about it.

You awesome girl! Love the way your handled the heartless troll who enjoys attackaing the vulnerable and has nothing nice to say, and with great wit humiliated and exposed his obviously evil agenda on this thread. I just had to sign-up just to tell you how proud I am of you! an I hope you don't mind, but I have said a little prayer for you to get better too :)

Jesus loves you.

Thank you. very useful information posted.
I have used this website for private GP www.privatedoctors.co and it was a good efficient experience. highly recommended

I’d recommend GoGoDoc. It’s an app I first used after waiting 36hours over a holiday weekend for an OOH Dr to give me a callback via 111. They cost around £50 per consultation, are thorough, don’t rush you and I call you with half an hour of your request for an appointment (telephone or video call). I had a repeat prescription in my inbox with 5 mins of sending them a pic of my ID. I honestly can’t recommend them highly enough.