Why it pays to go private

We are incredibly fortunate to have the National Health Service in the UK, providing us with free medical care whatever our circumstances.

But for some people the choice to go private is preferable, especially as it can limit waiting times, and hospitals like St John & St Elizabeth take great pride in offering best in class healthcare at competitive prices.

So why would someone want to go private, how do they go about it and what are the benefits?

Waiting Times 

When the UK went into a national lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic many ‘non-essential’ procedures and treatments the NHS would otherwise administer were put on hold.

A recent NHS Referral to Treatment report highlighted that 46.8% of patients were looking at waiting times of up to 18 weeks to begin treatment. Furthermore, with the latest lockdown it’s a possibility appointments have been pushed back further.

Here at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital, you can be seen the next day, sometimes even sooner depending on when you call us. It really is that quick. At a time when people are being told not to ignore even the smallest of medical issues we are here to help, support and guide you to the best treatment without a prolonged waiting time.

If you’re worried about your health the best thing to do is call our dedicated Contact Centre. It is staffed by people trained in different areas of health who can walk you through what you will need to do in order to guide you to the right consultation and treatment option.

You might find that when you go to your GP, they need to refer you to an NHS consultant., and, through no fault of their own given everything going on, the waiting time can be weeks or even months. In this situation, you might want to go private. All you need to do is call your GP and ask them to refer you to us.

COVID Green Zone

During the pandemic, many people, understandably, have been worried about going to hospitals for fear of being exposed to the Coronavirus. As a result, people have been delaying both treatment and diagnosis for issues they should be seeking medical attention for.

St John & St Elizabeth Hospital has been recognised as a COVID-green zone Hospital by BUPA, which means that we are complying with UK guidance on infection, prevention and control standards as well as other patient safety standards, so people can come to our Hospital with the peace of mind they are coming into as safe an environment as possible.

If you book an appointment we will screen you for any COVID symptoms. We have a host of infection prevention and control measures in place to protect our Hospital and our patients from COVID. For example, we only allow the person who has booked the appointment into the Hospital, friends and family must wait outside the building. Read more about our COVID prevention measures.

All of our patients are temperature checked at the door and all people in the Hospital are wearing masks and practicing social distancing. These measures offer both our patients and staff peace of mind, knowing that they are in the safest environment possible – we take great pride in providing best-in-class patient safety.

Cost 

How much you are willing to pay for private healthcare is something only you can answer. If you have something wrong that is playing on your mind the chances are you’re going to want to get that issue resolved as soon as possible. For many people that will mean happily paying a fee in order to get seen and treated quickly without a long waiting time hanging over their heads.

At St John & St Elizabeth Hospital we consider ourselves to be competitive when it comes to prices. We also offer a variety of assessment packages which are often cheaper than our competitors.

In a recent testimonial, a patient told us, “Even before I arrived, I was given quotes for a broad spectrum of scenarios and this was before they’d even had a chance to review my scans. I knew exactly how much I’d have to pay from best-case to worst-case scenario; it was incredibly reassuring.”

Health Insurance 

Many people have the option of using existing health insurance to pay for private healthcare. You will need to consult your health insurance provider to find out what your plan covers and there will be an excess to pay but the insurer will pick up the majority of your private healthcare bill.

Many people have private health insurance through their employer. In these instances the employer will often pay the excess for you. It is in their interest to have their employees fit, healthy and safe. If you are not sure if your employer provides you with health insurance it is worth asking. Either way, health insurance can significantly reduce the cost of going private.

Price Comparison 

Private hospitals do vary in price from one to another. It’s worth calling our team to discuss pricing. Most private hospitals tend to keep things relatively similar and rarely try to undercut each other on prices.

What’s worth looking out for when it comes to the cost is what you get for it. For example, at our Hospital you’ll get the same great treatment you might get at one of our competitors but here you get to stay in a stunning location, in a room with top-of-the-range facilities and looked after by field-leading consultants.

Mix & Match

You might decide to get your diagnostics done through the NHS and choose to be referred to our Hospital. Likewise, you might decide to have surgery privately but go through the NHS for the physio afterwards. It’s your health after all so it should be your choice.

If you have a health concern and are thinking of going private call our team on +44 20 7806 4000 or email: [email protected]

Alternatively, you can fill in our contact form for a member of our team to get in touch with you.