Just been told it's £350 to have a large cyst removed

[whataboutbob]

I have a largeish sebaceous cyst high up on my back. It's conspicuous when I go swimming or wear loose tops. I went to my GP today and she said that as it's not causing trauma it was a cosmetic issue and I'd have to have it done privately, those are the guidelines. I have had a look round and couldn t find NICE guidelines on this. But it seems the going rate is £300-350 per cyst. Anyone know if this is right or could i have it removed on the NHS? Thanks for any advice/ insight on this.

[whataboutbob]

Oh dear I started this because I was genuinely surprised it was not do- able on the NHS and it's turned into an opportunity for a spot of virtue signaling and OP bashing. Mrsmorton I have no idea whether I am a net contributor to the NHS or not, but I pay my taxes and NI and have done so since I was 23, while also being employed in the NHS, as a band 7 if you need to know. Fell free to condescend to me from the heights of your FRCS.
When you go on the net and see all the ads quoting £100s for what must be a very simple and quick procedure it does make you rather cynical about the whole private surgery thing. That's all. I am entirely on the same page as the other OPs who have pointed out the NHS is not a bottomless purse.

[whataboutbob]

The redjellybean thanks for giving me some background on the whole funding/ GP training for minor surgery thing, it's useful to know.

[PollyPerky]

You're missing the point OP. It's only a "simple procedure" (for you) because of all the training and skill that's behind it.

A surgeon has qualified first as a doctor ( 5 -6 years) then as a surgeon ( another 5-6 years.) During this time they have had student debts and worked God knows how many hours /shifts as well as studying.

Yes, some GPs train in minor surgery but it's still extra training and in many areas now they have phased out GPs doing this.

Anyone doing anything privately isn't being paid the fee that their clients /patients pay them or just for the time you see them.
They have to pay for the premises used, their secretaries, do paperwork afterwards, pay their professional fees and registrations, CPD etc.

I honestly don't 'get' how some people undervalue people like doctors or dentists working privately. The same people will think nothing of spending money on holidays or having their car serviced ( average garage fee £100 an hour) but begrudge paying for health care which they think ought to be 'free'.

I also suggest you find out what a 'net contributor' to the NHS is- it's not just 'paying your taxes'.

[LunaLoveg00d]

the catch is you have to return to get stitches removed


nah, you really don't. Twice I've had stitches on wounds after removed cysts on my head and twice I've removed them myself..... Might be a bit harder if your cyst is in a place which is hard to reach, but you just need a willing friend and a pair of scissors.

[bloomburger]

You're not paying for the surgeon's kids schooling or golf membership, you're paying for their level of expertise gained from the years of training they underwent.

[PollyPerky]

It's not a 'catch' - it's good practice.

The point of going back to have stitches removed is to a) check the wound has healed properly and neatly and b) remove the stitches.

If someone wants to go for DIY, fair enough, but don't expect sympathy or free treatment if it all goes wrong.

[KoalaDownUnder]

I had to go back and have my stitches removed.

As I said, I still think hundreds of pounds is a lot. My cyst was pretty big, and it cost nowhere near that.

[PollyPerky]

This is a nationwide clinic. The fee for mole removal (similar to a cyst) is £415 which includes histology , plus a consultation fee of £99 or £120.

I think OP you are forgetting that any fee you pay includes histology.

[whataboutbob]

PollyPerky- please do explain what being a net contributor to the NHS is, if it's not paying all my taxes then I'm stumped.
£350-415 might not be a lot to some, for me it's 3-4 days' work and I can't afford it. Or at least, I choose not to pay it because I have other priorities such as my kids' school meals, bills to pay etc. For those who say it's like paying to maintain your car- I don't have a car, ditto my funds are limited and I choose to use a bike.

[PollyPerky]

Net contributor- This explains it pretty well. Basically you have to be earning around £39K gross to be 'in credit' to the tune of £1K for anything you might take out of the system (such as healthcare.)

TBH what really shocked me was your envious attitude towards surgeons, when you say you work in the NHS. As other people have pointed out, would you feel the same about what other professionals used their income for?

[EndodSummerLooming]

Ah, so that's what a net contributor is then. Jolly good. Next time I go to the doctor/hospital, I'll remind them I'm really entitled then.

Surely it depends how much an individual needs the NHS. I have a two serious medical conditions and a third that has to be monitored. My DH who must be a contributor ++++++ sees a doctor about once every ten years. Most of mine is private btw so I don't think I've taken much out. Does that mean I've got credit for the odd cyst or wart?

[Genvonklinkerhoffen]

Either way OP doesn't need the NHS. And has a massive sense of entitlement. Bet she's great to work with.

[HawkingsMead]

Why did you have to wait 10 weeks for referral Endof if you go private?

My GP refers me straight away due to private insurance. And we are usually seen in a few days.

[EndodSummerLooming]

Because we self pay and if I can access high quality NHS care I do. I use a mixture.

[HawkingsMead]

But self pay is even faster - no need for a referral from the GP.

Sorry. It doesn't matter I just thought that your GP was being unreasonable making you wait when you had private/self pay options. It doesn't really matter!

[PollyPerky]

Self-funding - no insurance, pay the bill yourself.
Self-referral- no GP letter needed.

The two are separate. Some consultants will not offer self-referral- they insist on a GP letter, irrespective of how their fees are paid (insurance or self pay.)

And watch out for changing horses mid-way! If you self-refer, for one condition, your insurers may not/ will not pay up if you try to go back to them for funding. Most insist on a GP referral in order to cover you.

[HawkingsMead]

I've never been refused a self-referral on self-pay that's why I was confused. Even for paediatric consultants.

[PollyPerky]

Not all consultants accept self-referrals- recent experience of this with a friend. In fact a significant majority won't. Some will though so always worth checking with them first.

[HawkingsMead]

I've self-referred to consultant paediatrics for many years now and never been refused. But I have to coordinate the consultants and I let the secretaries know that I keep all records and test results.

[Bimblesalong]

Polly Perky, whilst some diabetes is 'self inflicted'; usually seen as type two, some diabetics would give anything not to be a 'burden' on the NHS. My son developed type one diabetes aged seven. Nothing to do with lifestyle, food or exercise. Without his meds he would die. I would rather have him alive and pay to have any 'cosmetic' removal of cysts (which is why I originally looked at this thread).

[PollyPerky]

Really sorry about your son Bimbles. I thought it was clear that my post referred to type 2 and therefore usually a result of lifestyle. And in case that sounds judy-pants, I'm only repeating what has been in the news constantly about the diabetes epidemic and the cost to the NHS. The truth is that the NHS will never be able to offer what everyone wants. It's like filling the bath with the plug out. As people live longer and lifestyle diseases increase, and science allows more treatments. some thing's are going to have to be 'off' the NHS menu.

[EndodSummerLooming]

Just to be clear, I have an NHS GP and if I can access high quality NHS care in a reasonable time frame I will. If not, I'll pay. Even self pay care needs a GP referral ime. For example, the NHS neurologist referral came through in four days and I got the option to see a fabulous surgeon on the NHS at our local private hospital. If it had been slow and I'd only been offered something at our awful general hospital that's just been evaluated as requiring improvement, I'd have gone back and asked to be referred privately.

I always pay for smear tests/gynae checks because our practice nurses can never find my cervix and are heavy handed. Likewise, I pay for physio too because it's faster and my private physio is a million times better than the NHS one.

[theredjellybean]

the other thing to remember about GPs doing this work , for real clinical reasons...I have to pay to update my skills, a 2 day minor surgery course cost me £1200...no it is not funded by the NHS , I pay that .
So will all the GPs who do this privately

[BoffinMum]

Regarding rationing 'because we are all living longer'. Yes, but infectious diseases requiring isolation and long hospital stays have pretty much plummeted, and people work longer and therefore pay considerably more lifetime tax, offsetting I don't know how much of increased costs ... plus our economy is much larger than in the 1940s by a quite incredible margin ... so the NHS needs to start reflecting that much better and not allow itself to be privatised by the back door by sloppy rhetoric about rising costs. That is an easy and lazy generic argument for people to make because it ends up in tit for tat flinging about of largely irrelevant facts to do with costs, missing the massive point that ultimately, we can pretty much afford it and regularly do (although to accountants it looks scary according to whichever rules are in place at the time at Government level).

If you think healthcare's expensive now, privatise it and then see how fast people's health and assets disappear so US corporation board members can coin it.

[BoffinMum]

redjellybean, I have lost count of the conferences I have self-funded, so I can actually do my job. All professionals do this kind of thing. And have you checked whether it is tax-deductible??

£350 is IMVHO extortionate, btw.