I could go private but consultant advises against it

[Massy]

I had a bicycle accident just over a year ago and broke my hip. I had an emergency operation to insert rods into my femur with a pin to hold it while it healed. I have since recovered pretty well but I am still in some pain. The pain is caused by the pin in my hip rubbing against my muscles so I now need it removed. Normally it would just stay in.

I told my consultant that I had private medical insurance but she said she thought I would be better served at a hospital that handles a lot of fractures. She said private hospitals are fine for regular hip replacements but not so much for this.

i am not sure what to make of this. I know private consultants all work in the NHS too. Please can anyone advise me?

I think that's nonsense. More often than not it's exactly the same surgeons doing exactly the same operation but in a better setting.

Did the GP offer an expected wait time on the NHS?

You can put in your private claim anyway and decide not to proceed if you wanted NHS. But in today's service levels I'd go private every time.

They’re often weird about people going private. Just do it. It will almost always be much quicker, as PP said.

Find out the name of the consultant he would refer you to, and then approach his private secretary

Check your insurance will cover it too, ours won't cover the metal in my ankle

I've just had both hips replaced (in my 40s). I went privately because I could choose the consultant I wanted, when I wanted it (4-6 week wait) and recover in a private room with an en-suite.

I chose the London Hip Clinic but you're right in that all of the consultants 50 there do some NHS work too. Not sure I'd have been guaranteed the consultant I wanted on the NHS and a higher risk of the surgery being postponed if there's pressure on beds.

Your consultant may have a point. It's always good to ask how many of this operation has your surgeon done an how many in the last 12 months. If its an unusual operation, private may not be as experienced at it.

And yes all private surgeons who trained in the UK were NHS trained. Not all NHS surgeons do private. Private medicine is not the same as NHS but faster and with posh hospitals. It's a different set up with a different purpose.

I’m a surgeon. She is right. Having an operation is far more than the surgeon. The extra bits of kit in theatre, the nursing care and therapy input is really important too. Also important to have the right person who knows a complicated case.

Private hospitals are good for routine things that are straightforward but this is a complication that needs ressolving. Most surgeons encourage private practice where possible so if yours is saying no there is a very good reason and you would be wise to listen.

I echo what he there's say, private is great for routine ops, in fact they are doing routine hips and knees for the nhs, but anyone who has additional complications is kept within the nhs because those hospitals are better equipped medically than private

Consultant is right. Generally accepted view amongst HCP I know is that NHS is the best place to be for complex cases..

The op clearly states that it IS their consultant telling them this, not their GP. There’s no referral to be made.

They are right op. I’d be happy to have something that’s an every day op in a private setting, if it was something complex, or more unusual, or had a heightened risk of complications, then NHS all the way.

Doing a routine hip replacement is completely different from what you need.

Private providers focus on routine work. This is what they are set up for.

For anything less common or potentially complicated I'd suggest staying with the NHS

Are there no private wings in NHS hospitals near you?

I'm not convinced that private providers aren't ever set up for non routine work. I can think of several private London hospitals which would pride themselves on being able to cope with similarly complex surgery to the NHS (including having cutting edge technology for orthopaedic surgery) and having an ICU.

You also get a private room and attentive nursing staff to help in the recovery phase and a hip replacement/major joint surgery isn't a walk in the park in the first few days. It's not the main concern but it's easier to sleep if you're not in a ward.

Thanks for all advice. I now have an NHS appointment for a pre-op assessment at the end of May so hopefully the op will be a few weeks after that. I will just be a day case. I have made enquiries at my nearest private hospital but they haven’t got back to me yet. I am not in London so the local private expertise may not be extensive. I will ask what experience they have but unless they are very convincing then I will stick with the NHS. It sounds like the wait won’t be too long and I will be at a university hospital and have the consultant who did the original hip repair so he knows what to expect.