Using Private Health Care
If you are thinking of using a private clinic or hospital for a particular treatment it is important that you weigh up the costs beforehand. They can be considerable, depending on the type of treatment required. As such, it is advisable that you take out some form of health insurance. The company or organisation you work for may give you this free as part of their remuneration package. Very often this will be with BUPA or PPL. Alternatively, research the most suitable policies for your circumstances.
Private Health Companies and Hospitals
As you would expect there are a range of different private health care hospitals and companies offering a range of services. Consequently, it is important that you use a service that complies with standard health and medical care practice. It is also important to ensure that the private practice observes strict clinical ethics. For instance, does it have a properly drawn up healthcare policy? What about abiding by national health care guidelines?
While all private hospitals and doctors will offer the best care available, there will be times when things can go wrong. When this happens it is essential that you know what to do and who to make a complaint to. Good private hospitals, for example, will have a complaints department and procedure that complies with national health care standards in just the same way as your local NHS hospital does.
While it is usually a good idea to carry out some research to ensure your private practitioner or hospital is the best for your circumstances, very often your own doctor can help. NHS general practitioners often refer patients to private hospitals if they consider the latter will give them a quicker service than the local hospital. Such services are normally for things like health screening, physiotherapy and even pathology tests. The NHS will normally pay for this. Private hospitals themselves are not allowed to recommend particular services or specialist organisations. It is therefore advisable to contact your local hospital for this information.
If you have medical insurance and intend using a private practitioner or hospital, then you should also contact your insurance company to let them know. This should be done prior to any consultation or hospital admission.
