NHS vs Private Health Care

[zuzkah]

Hi there. As a family we've been thinking of taking on family private health care. However, after some research I don't see many benefits of paying that much money for private health insurance if I can get similar care for free from NHS. Can anyone tell me what are the benefits of going private please?

Thanks a lot to you all girls for your advice and experience. I'm leaning towards the private care now. As everyone I want the best for the little one coming 'just in case' we would need a doctor. I'm gonna read the policy and speak to the advisor tomorrow to ask all the questions raised here. Thanx again.

mini hi-jack, does anyone have any experience of private maternity care?

I ask after two horrendous experiences during 2 pregnancies through the NHS involving incompetence/politics and all sorts which has made me really really wary of getting pregnant again.

We have private healthcare through DH's work which wouldn't cover maternity care so we would have to find the money but I would be interested to hear if anyone has done this and what they found.

I am in the process of taking out private health as I have battled with severe depression for years and the NHS just can;t do anything with me since I have moved away from London.

TBH I need inpatient treatment but the local psychiatric ward is too awful for words, I once spent three weeks there before my doctor got me out and I just sat slumped in a dirty ward absolutely terrified and missing my dd like mad. They still use ECT and it is just a dumping ground for anyone considered "abnormal" or living on the edges of society so I was living with other people like me with depression, people with learning difficulties, people with a history of violence, prostitutes, drug addicts, alcaholics, people with severe mental health issues. People were for ever trying to escape and we had to eat our meals with the men which i found too terrifying for words. ONe woman I was in with used to be a teacher at a local school and every lunch she was heckled by an ex pupil but we knew that if we refused to eat our dinner in the canteen we risked being seen as in danger and therefore kept in for longer.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that if I don't get help I will not live to see my dd grow into an adult.

Because I have a pre existing condition though I have to wait for I think 2 years before they woudl treat me.

We booked a private midwife to come when we were having our 3rd child. Thank goodness I am not having any more babies.

My experience via friends of mine.

First friend had knee surgery carried out privately. It was botched. They carried out three additional operations to rectify it and in the end he had to have remedial treat done on the NHS because his insurance would not cover it.

Second friend is a GP and she says that she would never have a baby privately because as soon as something goes wrong, they transfer you to the NHS.

I know many people who have used the NHS too and no problems.

Consequently,I stick with the NHS.

Alternatively the UK could just switch to a social insurance system like half (most?) of Europe has, and it would make life far easier. I live in the Czech Republic (I'm British though) and the social insurance system here works way better than the NHS - no waiting lists. You have a problem, you get seen. I get really really upset reading on Mumsnet about the hoops that people have to jump through in the UK.

It's free at the point of use, and involves paying compulsory insurance in line with your income (i.e. at progressive rates). Children are insured by the state. The systems in France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium etc. are similar - they each have their problems, but work far more flexibly and make better use of resources than the NHS.

Spokette,
My husband just had very successful knee surgery privately and I am very pro private healthcare, but I would never have a baby privately because I think that the NHS does a good job (at least they did with me and I had several problems). The consultants who work privately are usually NHS consultants too, so the chances are it would have been botched on the NHS too, because IME your GP will refer you to the same consultant whether on NHS or privately. I don't think you can generalise so much.

Vesela - That's funny. I'm Czech living in the UK. I know what you are talking about as it was a system I'm used to. I've lived here for nearly 7 years now and am still confused about the Health care. I ve been lucky enough not to need a doctor much and now I'm pregnant and have had only good experience with NHS so far. I've spoken to my health advisor and changed my mind again. So I'm sticking with NHS hoping they won't disappoint me.

I'm glad to hear it - I hope everything continues to go well for you!

For some reason it didn't sink in that you were Czech when I saw your name the first time round. Mine is short for Vesela krava, btw. I ate a lot of it while I was pregnant

vesela - Laughing cow ...yummy. My DH is the one loving it. I thought you chose your name cos you are generally 'happy' Hope you are!