Should You Consider Private Healthcare?

In recent years, the private healthcare industry in the UK has gained significant size and reach. This in itself is proof of the fact that there is certainly a growing need for private healthcare and medical facilities.

The capabilities of the NHS are not in question in any capacity, but the private healthcare sector does have a few unique benefits. The only way to know whether those benefits are in line with your own preferences is to know what they are. In this post, we will briefly go over the potential advantages of private healthcare, so that patients can decide whether they should consider private healthcare in the UK.

Minimum Waiting Time

The UK is going through several health-related turmoils right now, especially since the pandemic is not in any mood to be completely done with us anytime soon. This has led to delayed urgent care, long lines, and a lot of waiting time for patients. A huge private healthcare network like the Circle Health Group is well prepared to cut waiting time down to the absolute minimum possible. they will connect you to the right medical specialist within 48-hours or less, and urgent medical conditions will be administered with the urgency they need.

As the largest network of private healthcare providers and consultants in the UK, you can also rely on the Circle Health Group to not cancel any type of surgery, simply based on what someone else may consider a non-priority. True emergencies will still be prioritised, of course, but cancellations or delays are exceptional rarities. In other words, patients looking for faster, more personalised healthcare will find private options to be better suited to them.

Option to Choose Who and When

Unlike in a government healthcare facility where you will not have the option to choose whether you are treated by a GP or a specialist doctor, that option will always be available to you at a private healthcare facility. You can choose the time and date of every appointment, as well as the date and time on which the necessary procedure will be performed, if needed. Moreover, you can even choose your own general physician or specialist consultant from the private healthcare provider’s network.

Option to Choose the Healthcare Facility

If surgery or any other procedure is required to complete your treatment, you should have the option to choose where that procedure is performed. Now, the choice of hospitals/clinics will still be limited to those that are registered with your private healthcare provider, but it can be vast, depending on who your healthcare provider is. Irrespective of the provider, you will still have the option to choose a facility that’s closest to your residence, or one that you feel is best suited. That’s a choice only available in private healthcare.

You Can Pay for Your Own Treatment without Insurance

This is a major advantage that private healthcare facilities have over NHS hospitals and clinics. The patient does not need medical insurance to get treated at a private medical facility. Note that private medical insurance is available, but it is not a necessity, and you can choose to pay out of pocket if that best suits your needs.

Also note that even if you have private healthcare insurance, you will still be able to pay for your treatment out of pocket, if you so choose to. For those that wish to keep their medical insurance limit untouched for a bigger emergency in the future, paying out of pocket for consultations and smaller procedures is a practical option.

Private Healthcare Covers Cosmetic Procedures

The NHS does not cover cosmetic procedures, which is understandable as they are always overworked and overburdened with more urgent patient care needs. However, cosmetic procedures might still be extremely important for the patient personally. Thankfully, the UK has a reliable network of private healthcare providers to handle all possible cosmetic surgeries and procedures available to the public. The NHS does perform limited plastic surgeries, but they are emergency/urgent procedures and cannot be considered entirely cosmetic.

Better Privacy

It is difficult to have a private procedure done when the very nature of your treatment is public healthcare. Whether it is an essential surgery, a private blood test, or a cosmetic surgery that you do not wish to disclose to everyone, private healthcare is unmatched in this department by its very definition!

It would perhaps be fair to summarize that private healthcare in the UK acts as a more personalised and caring treatment option for patients who need faster, better access to specialised treatment. Contrary to popular belief, private healthcare does not necessarily have to be as expensive because any decent provider will have fixed-price packages to ensure no patient is getting in without knowing exactly how much they will have to pay for the entire treatment process. Also, it is not as if private healthcare insurance is unavailable either.