https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-hospital-demands-18k-hip-16544619
Oxford University Hospitals have a website for the private work they undertake. I imagine that most NHS Commissioning areas do too.
https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/privatehealthcare/services/default.aspx
The reason I'm interested is because I had something on my face which could have been a Squamous cell Carcinoma, although neither my GP or I really thought it was. I was referred to a consultant at the Churchill hospital who confirmed that it was a cyst. That meant I had to pay for it to be removed. I was very concious of it & it had got quite a bit bigger, so I went ahead.
Whilst
I was disappointed that I had to pay I understood the reason for it - It's cosmetic. However, possibly naively, I
did expect that as a private patient certain things would or would not
happen. I don't have medical insurance so I was not familiar with private
consultations, except once at the Spire Dunedin in Reading to see a
rheumatologist because I was in so much pain.
- I thought I would get written confirmation & instructions for the appointment I made over the phone - I actually had to phone & check the day before.
- I imagined that there would be private facilities - waiting area, coffee / tea / water etc - It was the same waiting room 2 I had been in as a NHS patient initiallly. It was very crowded.
- I really thought that a 3pm appointment meant a 3pm appointment - After waiting for an hour I asked a passing member of staff how long the delay would be. Although I saw the consultant fairly soon after that, I didn't go down for surgery until about 5pm.
- I would have expected to be informed, as a matter of courtesy, whether I was a NHS or Private patient, that there was a delay, how long that delay would be & when I could expect surgery to take place. Patients do get anxious about surgical procedures & they do have lives & commitments outside the NHS. Family / friends may also be involved in a patients appointment.
- I expected the consultant to know why I was there & have my notes from the initial consultation with his junior. He asked me why I was there.
- No one had checked to see if I was on blood thinners until I was actually in the operating room. I am on Rivaroxaban, but fortunately wasn't due to take it until 6pm, or I would have had to go home.
- I would have expected the procedure to be gone through so that I knew exactly what to expect, for example the anesthesia procedure - In fact I am not at all nervous. I have had quite a lot of interventions from the NHS over the years & have worked as a lay NHS volunteer in several capacities. But I am not typical.
I
know there had been a problem with a patient earlier in the day which
led to the backlog, because I did eventually ask. Was the clinic also
overbooked? All the more reason to keep everyone informed.
The
procedure went well. I have no complaints whatsoever about the consultant or
my Nurse. They were both excellent & I actually enjoyed meeting
them both & found them very professional. I realise that they were
very busy.
This is a complaint about the
admin, the logistics & the customer sevice. That is what the NHS,
private or not, doesn't seem to grasp. We, the patients, are paying,
directly or indirectly, for a service. I do think, that if you are
paying privately on top of what you pay in taxes, you should be able to
expect something a bit better.
I don't like to
complain. I hope that lessons can be learnt from my experience. The best
evaluation of the NHS is the patients experience of it. Mine left quite a bit to be desired.
No comments:
Post a Comment