Going private

[nikkie]

I am very against private health care but have found my dd1 waiting for an appointment and when I queried the wait they said 8-9 months.
We want the problem sorting asap without it affecting another school year (she has been missing a lot of school and has points when a day at school exhausts her)
Really I can't afford to but my parents will contribute as will my xh.
Anyone else done this?

Hideous. Sympathy. Is this for an initial appointment, diagnostic tests or for actual treatment, e.g. surgery?

I haven't but I looked into it when I was faced with a fair wait for DD2 to see ENT
£150 would have been worth every penny IMO
How much will it be?

More allergy tests with the specialist (who happens to be the same pead who reffered her)
Who is also the same one we'd see if we went private.

Don't mention ENT dd2 is waiting for them.

Yes, I did this when the optician said my dd1 (then age 5) should be seen within 24 hours and the eye hospital offered her an appointment 6 months later. This was after she'd failed an eye test so spectacularly that she not only couldn't read the big letters at the top of the chart but couldn't see that there was a chart at all.

Don't feel guilty about it, it's your dd's health and quality of life at stake, and you need to do what's best for her. It's not fair, but life isn't.

The thing to do is to find out the consultant she's been referred to, phone up the hospital and find out if said consultant does private work and if so where. Then you phone the private no. and make an appointment. If you want to check that you've been referred to someone good, phone a couple of the main insurance companies (BUPA, PPP) and ask which their authorised specialists are for your dd1's condition.

Expect to pay in the region of £100-150 for an initial consultation with a specialist. Medical or lab tests will cost extra. You should then be able to slot back into NHS for followup care. Don't worry, it isn't all for poshos or crazed Tories -- just people like you who want the best for their kids.

The dr that referred her (paed) is the one we need to see (as an allergy specialist) he also does private work .
the receptionist said its around £200 but need to speak to his secretary.