What are the benefits of seeing a private GP? (2023)

Is it worth seeing a private GP?

The overall service that you receive before, during and after your appointment is generally a lot more efficient in private healthcare. Your initial wait time to book an appointment with the doctor will be significantly reduced when arranged through private healthcare.

Many people wonder if private healthcare is simply better than the NHS. While there are definite advantages to going private, the truth is the high standard of care should be the same. All doctors in the UK, both private and NHS, are bound by the same high standards of regulations and practice evidence based medicine.

Your private GP does not have any access to your NHS notes: if you are able to remember and give a clear account of your medical history to date that is rarely a problem but if your history is complex then your private GP may ask you to obtain a copy of your NHS records, at your won expense.

A private GP is very similar to a regular NHS GP regarding the types of services provided. As a general practitioner, the work of a private GP is to offer diagnostics and treatment for illnesses, conditions and states of health ranging from the acute to the chronic, in the form of check-ups and appointments.

Book an appointment

15-minute appointment - £79. 30-minute appointment - £140. 45-minute appointment - £200. 60-minute appointment - £250.

A private fully registered GP (general practitioner) can see you and provide 'pre-referral' services to assess your needs. Then, if necessary, they can refer you to the NHS for further diagnosis, tests, treatment or surgery.

Public vs private healthcare: Waiting times

While the NHS aims to book all patients for non-urgent procedures within 18 weeks, it often takes much longer. With private healthcare, you can get a private GP appointment the same or next day.

If you need a private prescription you: Book a consultation with one of our GPs. Bring along your empty bottle or old prescription. The GP will assess your requirements and issue a prescription for you to take to any pharmacy.

In private care, you are usually seen within a week or so of your GP requesting a referral, and tests are arranged within a few days. With the NHS on the other hand, you have a limited choice and the waiting lists for seeing a specialist can be very lengthy.

The patient will not be given preferential treatment by virtue of having accessed part of their care privately. Patients who wish to transfer from private outpatient to NHS commissioned are must go via their GP for assessment and onward referral for NHS commissioned care.

Can private GP make NHS referral?

A referral by a private GP for an NHS diagnostic test should not be any different from an NHS GP referral". Private GPs are free to refer their patients to the NHS in the same way as NHS GPs can refer their patients to the private sector.

If your GP thinks you need to see a specialist and you want to pay for it privately, they can write a letter of referral to a private consultant or specialist explaining your condition and your medical history.

No, it's possible to seek private treatment from a consultant or specialist without being referred by your GP. However, the British Medical Association (BMA) believes that, in most cases, it's best practice for patients to be referred for specialist treatment by their GP.

Yes. There is no reason why you can't ask to see the doctor by yourself. They might want to find out why and might encourage you to tell your parent or carer.

Bupa health insurance – Key benefits

Cover more mental health conditions than any other insurer. Cover includes therapies and mental health cover as standard. Health advice is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Access to breakthrough cancer drugs and treatment.

The average cost to see a private medical consultant for an initial consultation is £195. The average cost for follow-up appointments is £130.

Occupational Health Physician Location: Central London Salary: £115,000 - £120,000 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience.

Confidentiality Maintained – Your confidentiality is our priority and your information will not be uploaded onto any NHS 'national database' and will never be imparted to a third party without your explicit consent. Your Body, Your Way – It is your own hard earned money, so ask for what you need.

Receiving private and NHS care at the same time

If you're receiving private and NHS care for the same condition, your NHS and private treatment can be supervised by 1 healthcare team. You cannot choose to mix different parts of the same treatment between NHS and private care.

Is private medical insurance good value for money? It can be good value if you might need specialist, expensive treatment. If you're a sporting enthusiast, for example, you might want access to specialist private treatment that isn't available in the NHS – like surgeons and experts who only do private work.

How long does a private consultation last?

Your appointment can take from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on your needs.

In summary NHS dentistry is designed to be functional, whereas private dentistry is usually functional and cosmetic. Each treatment plan is individual and it is best to discuss with your dentist the available NHS and private options.

If you need regular medication for a stable long-term health condition, your GP can prescribe a maximumsupply of three months.

Some felt that in general practice they would not be able to use their specialist skills and feared becoming deskilled in clinical areas such as the interpretation of x-rays. Others were concerned about the relative isolation in terms of medical responsibility, compared to working in teams in hospital.

Private hospitals tend to be the preferred choice because they are not as limited in their budget and are known for quality service in which patients receive individual care and attention. Patients also do not have to spend long periods waiting to be seen because the number of patients per doctor is low.

Public hospitals may have better medical facilities for your condition than private hospitals and are usually equipped to handle more complex cases. For these reasons, public hospitals are usually the first choice for emergencies or acute health issues.

The Two-Week Wait appointment system was introduced so that anyone with symptoms that might indicate cancer could be seen by a specialist as quickly as possible. Attending this appointment within two weeks is vitally important and will allow you to benefit from: Early reassurance that cancer has not been diagnosed or.

Seeing a specialist privately doesn't affect your place on an NHS waiting list. If you're thinking about having private treatment, you can have a private consultation and then make a decision to either wait for NHS treatment or go ahead and pay for private treatment.

NHS England has agreed plans to save hundreds of millions of pounds each year by recommending low value treatments, including fish oil, herbal remedies and homeopathy no longer be provided on the NHS, and launching a consultation on curbs to prescriptions for some 'over the counter' products such as paracetamol.

How long does a private referral take UK?

This will usually be within 2 weeks but it can take longer. For urgent referrals, you should be contacted by the provider within 1 week. Your referral letter will have details on where you have been referred to and how to contact them.

If your GP needs to refer you for a physical or mental health condition, in most cases you have a legal right to choose which hospital or service you go to. This includes NHS and many private hospitals that provide services to the NHS.

To have a scan with us you will need a written referral from a healthcare professional. This can be your Consultant, GP, Physiotherapist or Osteopath. Once we have this we can arrange an appointment at your convenience.

You can “go private” if you want to; there's nothing to stop you. You can pay for this out of your own resources, or by having private insurance. It's up to you.

Access to treatment

You have the right to use NHS services if they can help you. The services cannot refuse to help you without a good reason. If the waiting times for a service are too long you may be told about different places you can get the same or similar treatment.

Private patients are patients whose care is provided under a contract with their healthcare provider, either through a private insurance scheme or on a pay as you go basis. The healthcare provider could be an NHS Trust, a private hospital or an individual doctor.

Due to this, many are left wondering “are private hospitals better than the NHS?” However, this is simply untrue. The standard of care and expertise a patient can expect from an NHS or private hospital is exactly the same.

Frontline GPs

General practice is significantly understaffed, underfunded, and overworked and this is impacting on the care and services we're able to deliver to patients. 'The intensity and complexity of our workload is escalating whilst numbers of fully qualified, full-time GPs are falling.

What is the greatest disadvantage of private healthcare services?

As you might expect, the greatest disadvantage of private health insurance can be the cost. This is especially true if you are in poor health and do not have access to group coverage of any kind. Many individual policies can cost several hundred dollars a month, and family coverage can be even higher.

GP practices in England received an average of £155 per patient this financial year, official data has shown. In its annual report on NHS payments to general practice, published today, NHS Digital revealed that 7,001 practices in England were paid on average £155.46 per registered patient in 2019/20.

GP Payments

GP practices are paid on the basis of the number of patients on their list. This is obtained from the registered patient list held by NHS Digital on behalf of NHS England.