Private to NHS

 

Patients seen privately should usually have any medication or treatment intervention provided privately as part of that episode of care. Only the initial referral we provide without any charge.

Private Referrals/’Episode’

Patients seen privately should usually have any medication or treatment intervention provided privately as part of that episode of care. The private Clinician recommending a medicine should provide a private prescription.

Patients who request to be referred privately are expected to pay the full cost of any treatment they receive in relation to the ‘episode of care’ that is provided privately, this includes any: consultation fees, drugs prescribed or treatment provided by a Clinician in the course of a private consultation should be funded by the patient. This also includes any associated investigations/tests required (including IVF) .

In certain situations we may be able to prescribe some medications recommended privately on the NHS. However, to do so we need to know the indications for each drug and any relevant results, meaning we need a detailed clinic letter from the specialist explaining the clinical rationale recommendations of medications. We are not able to prescribe without a clinic letter. Please be aware, therefore, that private prescriptions submitted without a full clinic letter will be automatically rejected- if the medications are needed prior to a clinic letter being available they will need to be obtained privately. If you are unsure about the urgency with which the medication is required please liaise with your private specialist- again we cannot advise on whether medications are urgent untl we have a full clinic letter detailing why they are required and the indication. 

Apart from the initial private referral any further administration associated with a private referral ie insurance forms and reports are chargeable. Please refer to our ‘Private Fees’ section for further details.

An ‘episode of care’ ends when the patient is discharged back into the NHS.

We would appreciate a full clinic letter after each visit to keep us updated of tests or treatment recommendations ensure your record is complete and accurate.

Private to NHS care

If a patient wishes to transfer to NHS care, for reasons of equity, they should be prepared to accept the same treatment we offer to any other NHS patient with the same condition (including only one off initial bloods for IVF).

In practice this means for specialist medications/investigations/treatment we would refer the patient to an NHS specialist for review/ongoing management.

For non-specialist medication we would prescribe according to our local formulary which is based on cost effectiveness, so you may not get the exact medication prescribed if there are similar more cost effective alternatives.

Please be aware the NHS prescribing guidelines state that we need to prescribe generic medications except for a few circumstances like inhalers, antiepileptics and contraceptive medications. For similar reasons the manufacturer can vary according to the pharmacy's suppliers.

NHS Referrals

All private to NHS referrals are subject to the same usual NHS pathways with the usual associated clinical vetting process and waiting times. Unfortunately, we have no control over the waiting times or if a referral is accepted. We do appreciate that they waiting times may often appear long.

Please note there are a variety of procedure where certain criteria or a thresholds must be met before the specialists will consider treating. You can find out more on the North Central London Health and Care Integrated Care System website 

For more information please refer to our NHS Referrals page

Private Blood Taking Services

We are only able to arrange a limited range of blood as indicated by the NHS for GPs and available to us locally. For other tests including more specialist please arrange these directly with the specialists who also be able to interpret the results and advise. 

You can also self fund and arrange many blood tests directly with providers such as Rainbow Labs. They provide a wide range of tests including the regular privately requested fertility blood tests. They also offer  a range of locations for blood taking as well as the ability to take it yourself at home for many tests.

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