Should I go private?

If you are considering seeking private treatment, you should always discuss this with your GP practice before taking any action.

We understand that waiting for treatment may be frustrating, or that you may be considering some treatment that isn’t routinely funded by the NHS. There are lots of different places where you can get treatment that you pay for yourself, within both the private sector in the UK and in other countries.

Please consider the factors below when deciding whether private treatment is right for you.

Important factors to consider

Make sure that the provider is fully qualified, safe, and will provide you with an acceptable standard of care.

Whilst most private providers are fully regulated and registered just like the NHS is, this is not always the case.

It is particularly important if you are seeking treatment in another country that you make sure that the provider can look after you properly both before and after the treatment. This includes doing all the right health checks, pre-operative support, and follow-up care after your treatment if needed.

If the treatment would not normally be paid for routinely by the NHS, then you would be responsible for all the costs associated with your treatment.

Not all treatments are paid for by the NHS, and some treatments are only paid for in particular circumstances.

If your treatment would not normally be paid for by the NHS, you would need to be prepared to pay for all the costs such as consultations, treatment, and investigations like blood tests or scans, as well as any follow-up care, prescriptions and medication, and management of potential complications.

You should discuss this with the provider as they may include this within a pre-paid package of care.

You may need to travel back to the provider for follow up.

This is particularly important to consider if you travel overseas for treatment. Some treatments (such as obesity surgery) can involve quite a lot of appointments both before surgery, and several years of specialist follow-up care after surgery. 

You cannot assume that your GP will be able to provide you the follow-up care after treatment.

Your GP is only able to provide standard NHS treatment for you and is not able to replace specialist follow-up care after treatment from a private provider.

This is particularly important to be aware of if you have surgery overseas. The provider may not be aware of this as they will be working under a different healthcare system.

If you wish to transfer back to NHS care after privately funded treatment, you will need a GP referral.

If you have privately funded treatment and wish to transfer back to the NHS for follow-up care you can do so by requesting a GP referral to an NHS-funded service.

Please be aware this would be classed as a new referral, and you would join the end of any existing waiting list for that service.

If you are started on medication by a private provider, you can request on-going NHS prescribing by your GP, but this may not always be possible. Please refer to NHS Mid and South Essex’s policy on Defining the Boundaries between NHS and privately funded care below:

You cannot assume that your GP will be able to enter into a shared care agreement with your private provider.

You can find out more about Shared Care Agreements using the link below.

Local health and wellbeing support services.

You can find information about local organisations who can help support you to improve your health and wellbeing, including staying active, managing your weight, and stopping smoking.