Breast cancer private or NHS?

[Rockinghorse2019]

Hi I found out I have breast cancer on Thursday DCIS. I’m in total denial even took my 2 year old to the coast yesterday.
I gave private medical insurance - vitality and thinking about using it for treatment in Sheffield. Anyone had experience?

I’m so sorry you have had this news . I don’t have any personal experience but my friends mum was diagnosed in July and is still waiting for surgery on the NHS , if you have the cover go private it can only speed things up. Take care of yourself

I had breast cancer in 2019.
Diagnosed July, surgery August, Chemo Oct and radiotherapy the following February.
The surgery was six weeks after diagnosis and was delayed because I had infection. All treatment was speedy and excellent. However current NHS backlogs may make things very different and the private hospital will have better accommodation / food.

Thank you skap. Glad your treatment and care was good. Hope you are doing ok.

I was diagnosed in Feb and had a therapeutic mammoplasty on the NHS and then chemo and radiotherapy privately.
The private hospitals couldn’t give me enough theatre time due to the NHS using their theatres, so I had no choice but to go with the NHS.

Chemo privately and radiotherapy privately (start next month).

For me, private chemo was more convenient than the NHS but the oncologist does private and NHS work so I knew I was in good hands. I also saw him before every cycle - NHS don’t do that.

I was diagnosed mid January. Had surgery 2 weeks later. Chemo 6 weeks later but delay due to recovery from surgery. Then had 20 sessions of radiotherapy. Unlike **Aboutime I saw my oncologist before each chemo. All on the NHS. No concerns whatsoever and I did wonder what the advantage of private would be.

Admittedly this was several years ago pre covid.

So sorry to hear this. It’s such difficult news.

Have you checked the wording of your policy to make sure it covers your cancer? Sometimes policies use terms like “acute conditions”, which can be tricky with some cancers.

IME - or, rather, my sister’s: the NHS (Scotland) was fabulous for a very aggressive and invasive BC. Even during COVID, everything - chemo, double mastectomy and radiotherapy- happened when it should have done. However surgery was outsourced to a private hospital so comfier rooms, better food but the same medical care.

The NHS is buying up surgery space across many specialisms so, if you need surgery, you may find your options restricted to the NHS anyway. Chemo or radiotherapy may give you more choice: a friend of mine (in England) used her private medical insurance for chemo for ovarian cancer.

Good luck and here’s to many more beautiful days at the coast.

The benefit of private care is convenience but the care you get and , in our area, the time constraints will be the same.

Ask your consultant for their opinion. Going through this with a loved one, and their consultant's view is that private is fine for anything that does not have a need for high dependency care or emergency treatment. Chemo, radiotherapy etc, private is fine. Invasive surgery, fine if routine/ not involving major organs/ no comorbidities.

The consultant is the same one we'd see privately, and his advice might be different if the private hospitals in our area had different facilities, such as a dedicated ICU, onsite anaesthetist overnight etc. As it is, if an emergency occurs then you are taken to the NHS A&E.

I would use your private health insurance, might not be quicker and you may get the same treatment as NHS, but if you need something that’s not covered on NHS, you will be able to have it without any questions. My FIL had private health insurance when having chemotherapy, he was given a private room for half a day after to recover.

@Abouttime I'm afraid that your statement that you don't get seen in the NHS before each cycle is incorrect. Every patient is seen prior to each chemo cycle to assess how well they have tolerated it, what side effects they may have experienced and to consider whether any dose modification is required.

[quote iamreally]@Abouttime I'm afraid that your statement that you don't get seen in the NHS before each cycle is incorrect. Every patient is seen prior to each chemo cycle to assess how well they have tolerated it, what side effects they may have experienced and to consider whether any dose modification is required.
[/quote]
Sorry but that's absolutley not true. It's a postcode lottery.
When I was under treatment (pre covid small town)I saw the oncologist once. That was at the start when he told me the plan. I didn't see him again throughout chemotherapy, it was entirely nurse led.
Those at large teaching hospitals and London will see a lot more of their oncologist.

I was speaking from experience. My cousin and two friends have had breast cancer in the last 3 years and had treatment with the NHS. None of them saw a consultant before every chemo cycle. They sometimes saw a registrar but not a consultant.

My local hospital is quite small so I have asked to be transferred to a large teaching hospital to start with.

Go privately it’s a no brainier if you have the cover. The fact that you see your oncologist regularly is the deal breaker for me. I’m shocked that people having cancer treatment sometimes see an oncologist once on the NHS

My husband was a private patient. He saw his oncologist (who he chose) every cycle and when not on treatment every 6 weeks. Scan results came through in a couple of days and if they weren’t good he tended to get a call from the oncologist that day. No waiting for ops or treatment. And if your cancer ends up being more complicated, hopefully not, access to a wider range of drugs

I'm so sorry to hear your news.

I don;t have any experience with cancer care but lots of experience with private medical cover. My advice would be go private to start with but find a consultant that covers the NHS cases at the large teaching hospital you wish to use. This will give you the best of all worlds. You can then have an additional treatment available privately but if specialist care such as ICU maybe needed he can move you to his NHS list.

If things don’t go to ‘plan’ you want NHS. Private is ok for more routine stuff but if things get difficult they often don’t have the facilities you will need

Claremont is the best private hospital but I don't know if they do Oncology.

@FawnFrenchieMum that’s excellent advice

@FelicityBeedle depends on hospital. Most private hospitals will deal very well with breast cancer ops and care.

Wishing you the very best op whatever you decide

I didn’t have private health care at the time of my breast cancer treatment. Pluses for the NHS: I was seen very quickly (non-pandemic times) my surgeon was excellent as was oncologist but this was a large London teaching hospital.

After surgery I would have had more rest in a private hospital (was on a ward with gastric band surgery patients and they were noisy). Saw my oncologist every cycle.

Chemo may have been nicer in a private hospital.
I was admitted to A&E twice due to infections so would have spent a fair bit of time in the NHS hospital anyway.

My oncologist also had a practice on Harley street so good advice to get one that covers both.

Vitality is generally bargain basement stuff in terms of policies. Make sure that your policy both offers to cover breast cancer and that someone locally who you would want to see will deal with them. There may be top ups to pay as the vitality fees paid are very low.

@Asdf12345 I have vitality, it will depend on your cover as to what it covers. Mine has unlimited cancer cover and includes all the central London hospitals including the princess grace, royal Marsden. London clinic and London oncology centre so you can’t generalise

I also have no excess so very much not bargain basement!

Im going through breast cancer treatment at the moment. Diagnosed at the end of June and had had surgery 4 weeks later.

Chemo is starting on Friday. I already have my appointment to see my oncologist before my second round of chemo on the 22nd Oct so you do see your oncologist before each cycle at my trust.

I cannot fault the NHS with my care, from the start they have been excellent.

My parents were willing to pay privately but there really was no need but I suppose if you have private medical insurance and you're covered, why not.

Hello, do you know if NHS accepts the diagnostic report including liquid (blood) biopsy (cancer genetic mutation test) done in private sector? Or I have to do all the cancer testing once again in NHS?