Medical Insurance. NHS consultants go private!
With thousands of frontline medical jobs being axed due to the deepening crisis in the National Health Service, patient care standards are again under pressure.
Little wonder therefore, that hospital consultants are going private for their medical care! In a recent survey by BUPA, 41% of NHS consultants have protected their medical care by going private. More than 90% of all consultants also hold consultant positions within the NHS.
The British Medical Association (BMA) argues weakly that the consultants’ commitment to private medical cover doesn’t demonstrate a lack of commitment to the NHS. The Deputy Chairman of the BMA’s Consultants’ Committee said, “Consultants may also like the anonymity of private care. One of the problems of being treated in the NHS is that consultants might find themselves in a bed next to one of their patients”. What a joke! Surely, being in a bed next to one of their patients would underline their confidence and commitment to the NHS. Their absence only serves to emphasize their lack of confidence!
Private medical cover does not provide care in the event of an accident, that’s still the role of the Accident and Emergency Unit at your local hospital. The overwhelming advantage is providing prompt care in a hospital of your choice for planned surgery and medical situations that arise at short notice. Take the case of Dr Sarah Burnett for instance.
Dr Burnett is a consultant radiologist with 15 years service in the NHS. She took out private medical insurance because she was less than impressed with the level of care she saw first hand. “NHS treatment is not a pleasant experience in any way – from the standard of the food, to ward cleanliness and the chance of catching MRSA”, she comments.
Last year Dr Burnet was diagnosed with breast cancer during an annual private medical screening. She required urgent and specialised surgery. Within hours she had seen the consultant surgeon and the operation was arranged. A few days later she was recovering.
“I was lucky enough to have exceptionally prompt treatment because I choose to pay for insurance. Under the NHS I would not have been screened until 50 for breast cancer and would not have been able to catch my cancer at such an early stage. The type of surgery I had is only rarely available on the NHS, depending on the experience of your local surgeon”, said Burnet.
If you, like Dr Burnet and almost half of the UK’s NHS consultants, want to go private, it’s wise to take out private health insurance. Choosing the right insurance cover is complicated as you need to decide the standard of hospitals you would want to use, the level of cover and various other options. For this reason, you need professional advice from a specialised medical insurance broker. One that knows exactly what’s on the market and can access it. Where better to get this advise than the Internet?
Just search for “medical insurance” and you’ll find all the sites you need. You’re best to steer clear of the insurance company’s own sites as they can only sell you their own products and you really need independent advice. And make sure you chose a site that puts you directly in touch with an adviser.
You really need to be able to talk over your requirements and chat about the best alternatives. All this can be done over the phone. And buying through a broker won’t cost you a penny more than going direct to the insurer of your choice. Indeed sometimes a broker can even be cheaper!
Than goodness for the Internet!
