NHS / Private

liverpool
liverpool Member Posts: 9
edited 8. Feb 2010, 15:42 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hello everyone I am new on here and suffer with O/arthritis in the left ankle I am also six months into a frozen shoulder(pain in early stages unbearable but not too bad past few months)I am working and only 50 pain and stiffness in ankle getting worse and worried about ability to keep working.I am waiting for a referal to a consultant in leeds,does anyone know if I can pay for private consultation and then revert back to NHS for any treatment that he may recommend?thanks in advance and I hope the weather is not causing too much increase in pain as it is with me Adrian

Comments

  • kathbee
    kathbee Member Posts: 934
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Adrian

    I too am in West Yorkshire and 11 yrs ago when I presented
    with R A symptoms I paid privately to see a consultant for the
    first appointment, and then saw the same guy at the NHS
    clinic to commence and continue treatment.

    The only advantage I found was that I got to see him earlier
    by paying around £90 as the fee was back in 1998,
    the treatment was no different, in fact sadly the consultant
    in question was a right miserable old ... and I didnt have any
    faith in him whatsoever either privately or NHS clinics.

    Hope you can get some relief soon.

    Kath
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Adrian

    First of all welcome to the forum. I am sorry to read your thread. Many consultants work both in the private and NHS and you can find out beforehand, if you wish, if this is the case. If you go to see a consultant privately in the first instance, and he does work for the NHS he will more than likely suggest that.

    If you see a consultant that is only in private practice I presume, armed with the information you receive, it is then up to you to get referred to a NHS consultant, rheumi or whatever he suggests at the initial appointment.

    I wish you well

    Elna x
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • barbara12
    barbara12 Member Posts: 21,281
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Adrian
    A very warm welcome to this forum, I have OA andtreated on the NHS, but my hubby went private with his knee, because he needed to get back to work,he paid the initial fee to see the consultant, and from then on was treated on the NHS...alot quicker then I was.
    Hope this helps
    Barbara
    Love
    Barbara
  • chile168
    chile168 Member Posts: 384
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Adrian,

    Sorry to hear you are having a rough time at the moment with OA but glad you found this forum and extend a WARM WELCOME. :)

    Although I haven't had private care, I cannot see why you can't pay for a private consultant and still ask your GP to refer you.

    As far as I'm aware a private consultation is exactly that and doesn't go through NHS system as far as Im aware.

    Good luck and think you will find the forum friendly and supportive.

    Eve x
  • liverpool
    liverpool Member Posts: 9
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    kathbee wrote:
    Hi Adrian

    I too am in West Yorkshire and 11 yrs ago when I presented
    with R A symptoms I paid privately to see a consultant for the
    first appointment, and then saw the same guy at the NHS
    clinic to commence and continue treatment.

    The only advantage I found was that I got to see him earlier
    by paying around £90 as the fee was back in 1998,
    the treatment was no different, in fact sadly the consultant
    in question was a right miserable old ... and I didnt have any
    faith in him whatsoever either privately or NHS clinics.

    Hope you can get some relief soon.

    Kath

    Thanks for reply Kath I too have seen some consultants who are dis-interested so decided to look further afield
  • liverpool
    liverpool Member Posts: 9
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    elnafinn wrote:
    Hi Adrian

    First of all welcome to the forum. I am sorry to read your thread. Many consultants work both in the private and NHS and you can find out beforehand, if you wish, if this is the case. If you go to see a consultant privately in the first instance, and he does work for the NHS he will more than likely suggest that.

    If you see a consultant that is only in private practice I presume, armed with the information you receive, it is then up to you to get referred to a NHS consultant, rheumi or whatever he suggests at the initial appointment.

    I wish you well

    Elna x

    Thanks for reply Elna I am just trying to speed things up in order to continue working
  • liverpool
    liverpool Member Posts: 9
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    barbara12 wrote:
    Hi Adrian
    A very warm welcome to this forum, I have OA andtreated on the NHS, but my hubby went private with his knee, because he needed to get back to work,he paid the initial fee to see the consultant, and from then on was treated on the NHS...alot quicker then I was.
    Hope this helps
    Barbara

    Thanks for reply barbara this is what I was thinking of doing
  • jordan7j
    jordan7j Bots Posts: 346
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Adrian, and welcome to the forum. I started with NHS but when I couldnt get an appt I book a private one, He was brilliant, told me more in one 45 min visit than I had in 4 visits to NHS. It was expensive £190, but definitely worth it. He has suggested meds which he thinks will help, and I see my usual rheumy on Friday, and hope to get onto them.
    Also the private consultant has agreed to see me at his NHS clinic at another hospital, I just have to get a referral from my GP
    If you can afford it, I would say, definitely go for it, it puts your mind at rest, and gives veryf quick results regarding getting meds ordered. Obviously no guarantee that it will be the right ones for you, but at least you get some quicker!!!
  • liverpool
    liverpool Member Posts: 9
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    chile168 wrote:
    Hi Adrian,

    Sorry to hear you are having a rough time at the moment with OA but glad you found this forum and extend a WARM WELCOME. :)

    Although I haven't had private care, I cannot see why you can't pay for a private consultant and still ask your GP to refer you.

    As far as I'm aware a private consultation is exactly that and doesn't go through NHS system as far as Im aware.

    Good luck and think you will find the forum friendly and supportive.

    Eve x

    Thanks for welcome Eve I am fairly sure that I can but thought I would check if other people had done same,just getting fed up with this starting to control my life
  • liverpool
    liverpool Member Posts: 9
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    jordan7j wrote:
    Hi Adrian, and welcome to the forum. I started with NHS but when I couldnt get an appt I book a private one, He was brilliant, told me more in one 45 min visit than I had in 4 visits to NHS. It was expensive £190, but definitely worth it. He has suggested meds which he thinks will help, and I see my usual rheumy on Friday, and hope to get onto them.
    Also the private consultant has agreed to see me at his NHS clinic at another hospital, I just have to get a referral from my GP
    If you can afford it, I would say, definitely go for it, it puts your mind at rest, and gives veryf quick results regarding getting meds ordered. Obviously no guarantee that it will be the right ones for you, but at least you get some quicker!!!

    Thanks for reply just speeding things up if possible will ring private seceratery tommor
  • karenjane
    karenjane Member Posts: 90
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Adrian and welcome - they're a great lot on here and have helped me so much is a very short space of time.

    The Rheumy i saw also has a private clinic and as far as i can tell as long as you make sure they work both in the NHS and privatley you can refer back to NHS after inintial consultation.

    Good luck

    Karen
    xx
  • caprica
    caprica Member Posts: 195
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hey,
    I was going to do the same as you, was getting fed up of waiting on NHS and booked private app for 5th feb, but then my NHS one came through for the 18th so I'll go to that and see if I'm happy. If not, I'll look somewhere else.

    Can't hurt to try anyway, I just want to second what the others have said - check that the private rheumy has an NHS practice.

    From what others have said it makes a HUGE difference to have a good relationship with your doctors, so good luck finding a useful one!
  • karenjane
    karenjane Member Posts: 90
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Caprica, how are you feeling at the moment?... as predicted i suffered big time after a day out shopping with my step daughter and her friend. Had a great day tho..

    Karen
    x
  • caprica
    caprica Member Posts: 195
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hey Karen, sent you a private message :)
  • liverpool
    liverpool Member Posts: 9
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    karenjane wrote:
    Hi Adrian and welcome - they're a great lot on here and have helped me so much is a very short space of time.

    The Rheumy i saw also has a private clinic and as far as i can tell as long as you make sure they work both in the NHS and privatley you can refer back to NHS after inintial consultation.

    Good luck

    Karen
    xx

    Thanks for reply Karen
  • liverpool
    liverpool Member Posts: 9
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have had referal before caprica and not got to see the consultant I wanted,so thought if paid I would see who I wanted
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    liverpool wrote:
    I have had referal before caprica and not got to see the consultant I wanted,so thought if paid I would see who I wanted

    Yep, money talks! As you will be parting with megabucks you will also be making sure that you get as much information and treatment out of the appointment as possible.

    Have all your questions written down and take a pen to jot down answers.

    I wish you well,

    Look after yourself, as you appear to be doing.

    Elna x
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.