Can I go see a consultant privately then opt to he treatment on NHS

[fritata]

I have an appt to see a consultant in June on NHS at local hosp. But could go to see him next week private which I could afford to do as its not as expensive as I thought.

If I have to have treatment I wont be able to afford private so could I tell him I wanted to opt for NHS?

You can use NHS choose & book, ask your GP to refer you under the scheme, you go to the private hospital under the NHS, if you need surgery or tests they are all done in the private hospital. I've had 5 operations done under this scheme & was seen & dealt with much quicker than waiting to go to an NHS hospital. I know some people object to it as queue jumping, but if it's available then why not use it.

NHS guidance is very clear: no NHS patient should be able to jump queues and should only be prioritised on the basis of clinical need. Consultants who respect NHS values do not prioritise the patients they see privately. Sadly some do not have much respect for the NHS and don't care or see this as a way to 8jcreasextheir private income.

So really it depends on the consultsnt you see snd/or how much the nhs hospital, under pressure of the ccg it operates under scrutinise whether this poor practice takes place.

You can refer yourself to a private hospital, such as BMI, Nuffield etc.
If you want to see an NHS Consultant, your GP must refer you.
From my experience, I have seen a Consultant privately, but because I do not have private health insurance, the Consultant has put me on his NHS list. If the private hospital is in the NHS England directory to provide NHS care, then if you see a Consultant privately he must put you on the NHS list. If not in the NHS England directory, it is down to the Consultant's discretion whether or not if you see them privately whether or not they will do an NHS referral.

Hope this helps,

J.G. Allison
Welfare Rights Lawyer.

no NHS patient should be able to jump queues and should only be prioritised on the basis of clinical need

all very moral but not much good when you are "merely" in a great deal of pain, and not about to die.

Certainly where I live the NHS will not fund anything life-enhancing, eg two people I know have been turned down for scans/treatment for running injuries because they only stopped them running rather than affecting everyday life, so had to pay to go privately.

It's NOT jumping the queue. If you see a Consultant privately, then ask to be put on his NHS list, you will wait just as long as a patient who originally went through their GP for an NHS appointment. Hospitals like BMI, Nuffield, BUPA etc see both NHS and private patients.

Jim

Our GP did a referral to a consultant who we saw privately. He then did the operation on the NHS.

If the private hospital is in the NHS England directory to provide NHS care, then if you see a Consultant privately he must put you on the NHS list. If not in the NHS England directory, it is down to the Consultant's discretion whether or not if you see them privately whether or not they will do an NHS referral.

This is very misleading and wrong. What you mean to say is that some private hospitals (BMI, BUPA), also offer NHS services. Your GP can refer you to that hospital as an NHS patient. Wait to see a consultant there might be quicker than the local hospital but will not be as quick as if you were referred privately. The consultant treating you there (who is likely to be the same consultant working at the local NHS hospital) will have to adhere to the same procedural rules, than if treated at your local hospital.

It's NOT jumping the queue. If you see a Consultant privately, then ask to be put on his NHS list, you will wait just as long as a patient who originally went through their GP for an NHS appointment
It is jumping the queue if you see a private consultant within a week, when you would have waited 8 weeks to see the same consultant at your local hospital.

A private consultant suggesting further treatment that the patient can afford privately and therefore requires NHS treatment should refer the patient back to their GP for an onward referral to the local hospital which will mean waiting for the 8 weeks anyway.

Private consultants used to be able to add their private patients to their own surgery lists, but it is becoming rarer as hospitals monitor this practice as it is against the NHS constitution. Consultants who still do so can get into trouble with their NHS employer(s) and rightly so.Why should people who can afford a private outpatient appointment get to be treated quicker than those who can't?

Either you pay for the whole thing or you wait like everyone else who chose or has no choice but to be treated under the NHS.

Benenden health is based on this- they refer you if more than 8 weeks wait and then you go back to NHS etc. so yes

After NHS treatment and unacceptable delays with appointments I have decided to go private. Can I use the same consultant in the private sector to complete the treatment . He works in both sectors.

If you get your consultation sooner because you pay and then get put on the NHS waiting list then you are jumping the queue because you've been listed sooner than someone who has had to wait to see the consultant on the NHS in the first.
So Joe Bloggs May have had to wait 8 weeks for an outpatient appointment then listed for a procedure that he has to wait 3 months for.
You wait a few days for a consult then get listed for a procedure that you also wait 3 months for, Joe Bloggs' process has taken 8 weeks longer than yours!

Ellapaella. If your post was a reply to mine I am not queue jumping. There is no intention to go back to NHS in this instance. I started treatment on the NHS 1 year ago and have been waiting for 9 months for the final stage to be completed. I had the pre-op for this final stage 4 months ago. Enough is enough. My unanswered question was whether I can book the same consultant for the private treatment as dealt with my NHS treatment.

Have done this with DD when we weren't getting anywhere with GP. The consultant saw her and thought we'd done the right thing in wanting her looked at, then said she would see her on the NHS.

Bruckshaw, of course you can. You can ask him to refer you to himself, although sometimes consultants might not be happy to do that as they might be scrutinised as they are not supposed to promote their private practice when seeing nhs patients.

You can also ask your gp to refer you to him in his private practice.