is private healthcare bad for the nhs?

[hatter]

and, if you were seriously ill and not getting what you thought you needed from the nhs, would you use it?

No its not bad for the NHS IMHO.
It takes some of the pressure off.

yes iwould. i have often looked into it for allergy stuff b ut fortunatly have good gp who will refer.

If it were my family or children - yes I'd use it. I'm afraid when it comes to things like that, you look after number one.

Hmm, have a feeling this one will get heated! Will be back to it later when I've done my work!

I would if I thought it was any better but I've seen so many highly regarded Drs and Profs who people pay to see privately and I see them on the NHS. Never had to wait long either. Don't object to private health care, just think its over rated and you can't beat the NHS when there is something seriously wrong and I have LOTS of experience!

I used to have Bupa cover with my last job and had a foot operation when my big toe splintered from running. It was fab. Own room, satellite tv, and steak and chips with a glass of wine for dinner. The NHS were good too with both of my ceasareans, the care was just as good, but obviously doesn't include all the trimmings. I don't see the problem at all with using private care - it cuts down waiting time for other people.

Not usually bad for the NHS (except of course where treatment/ops are botched, and NHS intensive care units have to pick up the pieces). Politically I guess it could be seen as "bad" for the NHS if it appears to be eroding the basic NHS principles.

personally would not have a moment's hesitation for my family or my children about going private if I felt it necessary. so would not suggest that anyone else shouldn't go private.

Agree that the main benefits seem to be comfort and steak and chips with wine!! I think the medical personnel and care are better in the NHS. Also, if like me you have a child with problems you really need to be in the NHS system.

my reason for thinking it might be bad for the NHS is that the current system means I can see a consultant in january on the NHS or I can pay and see the same consultant next week. If I were to see him next week then I'm effectively taking him away from the nhs, meaning that I am effectively responsible for increasing nhs waiting times.

I don't think that is true. The consultant's time will have been booked for private consultations months and months ago. If you take an appointment with him, it will make no difference to the NHS.

yes but his private time is only booked in relation to demand. If I pay and take a private appointment I'm contributing to that demand

Mummytosteven - I get your point, but would also make the point that the private system is there for when the NHS mucks up too - I've ended up having to have three op's including one emergency operation, privately, because two completely unrelated NHS procedures went wrong.

Just do it and put your mind at rest.

We paid for DD's operation to be done privately when the alternative was that she wouldn't even have had investigative tests in the same timescale. It cost around £5k and I/we don't regret a penny of it, even though it did mean we had to cut back on everything that year. I would happily have re-mortgaged and/or moved and used every penny of our equity to get her through if necessary.

The consultant suggested the local private hospital but because her ocndition is highly unusual and the surgoen was travelling from London and it was only the sixth time he had done this and the first time it had been done on a child in Nottingham, I said I wanted it done in the NHS hospital where there was a PICU and on-duty emergency care if necessary. Stuff the steak and chips if there's no-one to help out in an emergency (plus DD couldn't eat as a result of her condition so what benefit fine food?!!)

Just my totally biased opinion

I think it takes the pressure of the NHS - i have BUPA cover with my job and have had cover for many years. Having had ds privately in a NHS hosp however did flag up some serious issues though. Obviously the consultant who performed the op and the anaesthetist were paid privately as were the hospital for dressings/room/drugs etc but the midwives weren't and god did it show

hatter, it's possible that if you didn't book the appointment, he'd be sitting at home! He is prob on a p-t contract with the trust, working say 3-4 days per week.

waiting isn't much of an option tbh. without going into too much detail the situation is that I'm having a relapse of a pre-existing condition (MS), have not even been examined, have no pain relief, and - because of the nature of MS and the mysteries that are its treatment am afraid that a delay in receiving treatment will have an impact on the longer-term development of the disease. All rather scarey. My gp is going to try to pester for an earlier appointment but I'm not prepared to spend Christmas like this. I'm just very upset at the whole concept of private health care at the moment (this from the woman who had an independent midwife, blimey life and principles is a complicated business). All the things people say about where the particular consultant may or may not be miss the central point - that if there was no private health care he would be in the NHS using a fair system to allocate care. In theory anyway. I hate being in this position. I hate queue-jumping. I hate the thought that another person in my shoes might just have to suffer. I'm just feeling deeply disillushioned with the whole system.

Hatter, you don't have a choice here. I can understand your doubts but do it for your children as well as yourself. I hope you get some answers and some good treatment very soon. There was an article by the comedian Jim Sweeney about living with MS in the paper the other day.

Hatter - put your principles aside and book the appointment. Look at it this way, in January when you would have seen him on the NHS, another person will be able to take the place that you have freed up by going private.

If I hadn't gone private that dd and ds wouldn't exsist. I know that it is crap that another woman i the same situation as me wouldn't have had that choice but sorry, that is life. I paid and got treated in a few months, it would have taken longer than that to get the first appointment with the NHS

Oh yes Hatter, agree you should try to get in asap.

Rather than leaving your GP to pester for an earlier appointment, can you phone the consultant's secretary yourself?

Lots and lots of people don't turn up for NHS appointments (bet that doesn't happen in private practice). Once DD and I got there about half an hour early for her appointment and were in and out before our allotted time because of the no-shows.

So it might be that if you asked to go on a cancellation list or found out when consultant had a regular clinic and phoned on each clinic day, you might be able to get something very soon.

Good luck

DD's appt was obviously NHS one pre correct diagnosis

thanks everyone. I know that if the gp can't come up with anything that I will go private - it's possibly the right thing to do all round in any case - have been advised (by a mn-er) to get a consultant that is an ms specilist, rather than whoever happens to be the consultant neurologist at my local hospital, whose interests and specialities may be in completely different areas of neurology. Thanks for bearing with me and helping my chrystalise my thoughts. I have a feeling I tend to go on a bit about issues like this.