Private hospitals have unveiled a radical plan to invest £1bn to “rescue the NHS” and help clear their record waiting lists. It would involve companies such as Bupa, Circle Health Group and Care UK giving money to improve NHS services in return for government contracts.
It has already proven controversial, with critics calling it an “NHS privatization scheme” and an “expensive stunt”.
However, experts say many patients are unaware that private hospitals already offer treatment to NHS patients, and every year thousands of those appointments go unused.
The NHS regularly pays for patients to undergo common procedures privately, such as hip replacements and eye surgery.
But according to a recent NHS report, by former surgeon Lord Darzi, less than half of patients know they have the right to choose independent providers.
The NHS regularly pays for patients to undergo common procedures privately, such as hip replacements and eye surgery.
The Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) says patients typically need to travel less than 25 minutes by car to reduce their waiting time by three months.
So what needs to be done to get the NHS to pay for a private operation? And is it worth it?
Q: I have never heard of this plan. Am I eligible?
TO: Everyone is eligible, no matter your age, where you live or what treatment you need. If your GP needs to refer you for a physical or mental health condition, you have the legal right to choose which hospital or service you go to. This includes the NHS and many private hospitals that provide services to the NHS. Patients can even choose the doctors they want to see them.
“This system has been around for decades, but not many people know about it,” says David Hare, head of the IHPN. “Our data shows that more than 10,000 appointments made available by the private sector for NHS care are not being used.”
Doncaster-based GP Dean Eggitt says: ‘Patients and GPs need to be more proactive about the scheme.
“It’s not often that patients ask about it, especially on the first visit, only when they’re on the waiting list.”
The only restrictions are that this service is not available for emergency care and there must be a justification for your choice.
For example, a private hospital might be closer, offer shorter waiting times or offer a treatment that is not available on the NHS.
However, you may be denied your right to choose if you have missed previous appointments and are suggesting a treatment plan that does not align with your doctor’s diagnosis.
Q: I want to take advantage of this. Where do I start?
TO: Once your GP or consultant has decided that you need a referral, they should discuss treatment options. “The key to patient choice is the GP,” says Mr Hare.
‘They will discuss what is best for you and whether it is NHS care or going to a private provider.
“However, we currently have no assurance that patients are being asked to consider their options.”
Experts say it is important for patients to raise the possibility of a referral to their GP. “If you want to exercise your right, you have to defend yourself,” says Richard Wells of the Private Healthcare Information Network.
‘If you suggest a private provider offering NHS services in your area and your doctor agrees that this is the best option, you should arrange the referral and ensure appointments are made. However, if you request a procedure outside your area, you will likely be asked to make the appointment with the private hospital yourself.
Janet Lovell paid £10,000 for her first hip replacement operation at a private hospital, but the NHS footed the bill for her second.
Q: Will there be an additional cost to me or the NHS?
TO: There is no additional cost to you and no additional burden on the NHS.
“These appointments no longer cost the NHS – private providers are striving to do them at NHS prices,” Mr Wells says.
There are no restrictions on the types of procedures that can be carried out under the scheme. Private hospitals will have contracts with the NHS requiring them to carry out a certain number of operations each year.
Q: I have been waiting for hip replacement surgery on the NHS. Can I request it to be private?
TO: You have two opportunities to request to be private. The first is at your initial consultation with a GP.
“Dialogue is key at this appointment, it is your main opportunity to make change,” says Mr Hare.
“Although the expectation is that your GP will discuss all options with you, this is your opportunity to raise the issue.”
If you did not initially choose to go private and are on an NHS waiting list, you cannot change your treatment plan until you have been waiting for at least 18 weeks.
There are more than three million people who meet that criteria and the average wait time has doubled since 2019.
But Mr Wells says: “It is still worth discussing the options with your GP while you are on the NHS waiting list, as if it looks likely that you will have to wait 18 weeks, they may be able to help you plan. future”.
Q: Will the £1bn bailout change the rights to the scheme?
TO: The proposals would add to patients’ rights, so will not change their ability to access private care for referrals.
Currently, patients can choose to have a procedure in a private hospital rather than in the NHS.
The new plan will involve private hospitals covering the cost of new diagnostic centers (where patients could be screened for diseases such as cancer), surgical units and intensive care facilities.
These services would be owned by private companies but would be free to NHS patients. It is estimated that 2.5 million more NHS patients would be cared for each year.
I only had to wait a month to have the hip replacement.
“I really don’t think enough people realize that they have the legal right to choose where they receive their NHS treatment,” says Janet.
When the pain became too much, Janet Lovell paid £10,000 for her first hip replacement operation at a private hospital, but the NHS footed the bill for her second, also private, just a month later.
Former accountant Janet, 73, from the Isle of Wight, suffered severe osteoarthritis which left her in agony and wheelchair-bound. She also cares full-time for her husband Martin, 75, who suffers from Alzheimer’s.
He had been waiting two years to have his first hip operation. Only after he had done so privately was he told that the NHS bill could have covered the bill.
While recovering, Janet was told she would also need her other hip replaced, and the wait could be as long as before, two years.
So he asked his GP if it could be done at a private hospital. His application was approved and the process was carried out just a month later.
Janet says: “I really don’t think enough people realize that they have the legal right to choose where they receive their NHS treatment and that they can find shorter waits.”
weird science
A man died last year after rinsing his sinuses with tap water and contracting an infection that eats his brain.
Health Department officials in Charlotte County, Florida, reported that a resident had been infected with N. fowleri, an amoeba that typically lives in soil and warm freshwater environments. It is generally harmless when accidentally swallowed by mouth.
But when the infection enters the body through the nose, it can migrate to the brain, where it eats away at brain cells and causes massive inflammation.
The unfortunate man reportedly rinsed his sinuses daily with unboiled tap water, which doctors believe caused the infection.
