Private Healthcare vs The NHS

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houst69

houst69

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Anybody had experience of private healthcare? Worth paying for or would you stick to the NHS?

Opinions and thoughts please? Trying to get me dad to fork out for private.
 


I had two abdominal surgery operations a couple of years back. The first one was in the QE and the second was in the Spire but on the NHS, not as a private patient.

In the QE I had a cubicle with a bed, chair and a flimsy curtain across it that kept wafting open when people walked past so no privacy. There was nowhere to put my stuff so I just had to put my clothes in my bag on the floor. The bathroom was shared by everyone in the day surgery unit, and a walk away from my cubicle, which I found awkward going to after the operation as I was unsteady on my feet as they'd accidentally given me too much anaesthetic. I was offered a sandwich after the op which consisted of value white bread, minimal butter and that cheap chicken roll stuff. It was in one of those triangle plastic boxes and it was warm and dried out. I just forced it down as my sats were low and they said I needed to eat something. The nurse said I was lucky that I was given a sandwich as they often run out and have to send people home without offering them any food! I wasn't comfortable in there and I was desperate to get out!

In the Spire, I had my own bedroom with ensuite bathroom which looked more like a hotel room than a hospital room. It had a proper door so there was a lot more privacy and a cabinet to put my stuff in. The bathroom had mini toiletries in it. I was asked if I'd like something to eat and was brought a menu with several main course dishes and snack meals on. I wasn't that hungry and just ordered a cheese toastie. It was nicely presented on a plate with a side salad like what you'd expect to get in a cafe and it tasted freshly made with good quality ingredients. I was really comfortable and I would have happily stayed in there longer.

If he can afford it, I would definitely recommend going private. It's just a different class of service altogether. If I could afford it, I certainly would.
 
With private you get your own room and queue jump. But surgeons are only available certain days so you might not get that much of a bump up the queue.
You get the same surgeons as the NHS but private is all about profit so they will cut costs wherever they can. The surgeon doing my nose complained that he didn't have things available to him that he would have had in an NHS hospital.
The admin side of things at The Spire seemed clueless as well.
If I was in for a long stay, my own room would be a major deciding factor. One night or being a day patient, less of an issue.
If you have medical insurance, there is also a temptation for the hospital to do what gets them the most money rather than what is best for you, but I'm not suggesting they would always act on that.
 
We paid for my mam to have a cataract removed privately as it was going to be at least 9 months wait on the NHS. Going privately it was done 2 weeks later at a time of her choosing. Cost about £2000 if I remember which seemed reasonable value.

There's room in the system for both private and NHS healthcare. If private was banned then it would just put more strain on the NHS and the people who really wanted to pay would go abroad.
 
I went private for my first couple of surgeries with Crohn’s but because the private hospital
didn’t offer keyhole I ended up in Sunderland Royal where some of the staff seemed to take issue with the fact I was a private patient ‘slumming’ it and ‘queue jumping’ the fact the nhs had taken 3 years to diagnose me and that was why I needed the surgeries was quite ironic

Had a cosmetic procedure privately at Washington and it was very comfortable
 
My mum had surgery on private healthcare and it was great. I assume the surgery itself was no better than it would have been on the NHS, but it happened faster and her room was more comfortable. That's my only experience with private healthcare, but it seems worth it if you can afford it or your work offers it
 
becs said:
I had two abdominal surgery operations a couple of years back. The first one was in the QE and the second was in the Spire but on the NHS, not as a private patient.

In the QE I had a cubicle with a bed, chair and a flimsy curtain across it that kept wafting open when people walked past so no privacy. There was nowhere to put my stuff so I just had to put my clothes in my bag on the floor. The bathroom was shared by everyone in the day surgery unit, and a walk away from my cubicle, which I found awkward going to after the operation as I was unsteady on my feet as they'd accidentally given me too much anaesthetic. I was offered a sandwich after the op which consisted of value white bread, minimal butter and that cheap chicken roll stuff. It was in one of those triangle plastic boxes and it was warm and dried out. I just forced it down as my sats were low and they said I needed to eat something. The nurse said I was lucky that I was given a sandwich as they often run out and have to send people home without offering them any food! I wasn't comfortable in there and I was desperate to get out!

In the Spire, I had my own bedroom with ensuite bathroom which looked more like a hotel room than a hospital room. It had a proper door so there was a lot more privacy and a cabinet to put my stuff in. The bathroom had mini toiletries in it. I was asked if I'd like something to eat and was brought a menu with several main course dishes and snack meals on. I wasn't that hungry and just ordered a cheese toastie. It was nicely presented on a plate with a side salad like what you'd expect to get in a cafe and it tasted freshly made with good quality ingredients. I was really comfortable and I would have happily stayed in there longer.

If he can afford it, I would definitely recommend going private. It's just a different class of service altogether. If I could afford it, I certainly would.
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This. My first spinal surgery was NHS. Woke up in a ward with a load of radged neuro patients and because they didn't do it correctly I had my second round of surgery private. Between diagnosis and operation it was about a month. Room was a hotel. Follow up was very quick.

Similarly recently diagnosed with a blood clot in my calf at an NHS hospital after calling 111. Went private for an mri and it wasn't a blood clot. Sorted within a week.
 
We get private health care through work, something I didn't realise for first 3 years I was there, but the twice I've called them the service has been unbelievably good. Straight in the next day with the consultant, MRI scan etc.. pretty much straight away . Couldn't fault them. Wouldn't like to be paying for it though. Think it came to over £1000 just for the scans and consultancy
 
Hang on - same surgeons ?

I trust they are moonlighting at nights and weekends or we are docking their wages accordingly.

No wonder there’s queues for NHS.
 
tunstallhill said:
We get private health care through work, something I didn't realise for first 3 years I was there, but the twice I've called them the service has been unbelievably good. Straight in the next day with the consultant, MRI scan etc.. pretty much straight away . Couldn't fault them. Wouldn't like to be paying for it though. Think it came to over £1000 just for the scans and consultancy
Click to expand...

I also get private cover through work but (fortunately) have never had to use it. I keep thinking of cancelling it as the tax liability costs quite a bit but colleagues who have used it have said it was excellent and Sods Law says that as soon as I did cancel I would need it.
 
Pnematic said:
Hang on - same surgeons ?

I trust they are moonlighting at nights and weekends or we are docking their wages accordingly.

No wonder there’s queues for NHS.
Click to expand...

that or they have part time contracts for the NHS and part time at the private clinic. I’ve only had minor ops at both and echo the above comments.
 
Darlo1973 said:
I also get private cover through work but (fortunately) have never had to use it. I keep thinking of cancelling it as the tax liability costs quite a bit but colleagues who have used it have said it was excellent and Sods Law says that as soon as I did cancel I would need it.
Click to expand...

I didn't realise there was a tax liability. Does it just come off your tax free allowance ? Mine is 12040 I think which is normal isn't it ?
 
Nookie Bear said:
I went private for my first couple of surgeries with Crohn’s but because the private hospital
didn’t offer keyhole I ended up in Sunderland Royal where some of the staff seemed to take issue with the fact I was a private patient ‘slumming’ it and ‘queue jumping’ the fact the nhs had taken 3 years to diagnose me and that was why I needed the surgeries was quite ironic

Had a cosmetic procedure privately at Washington and it was very comfortable
Click to expand...
That’s awful, what happened like?
 
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