The team at the private healthcare consumer information website myTribe have put together seven tips on how you can beat the NHS waiting lists:
- Research your local NHS hospital waiting times – When you choose where you might receive NHS hospital treatment, always research hospitals’ waiting times, as you may find another hospital nearby that will treat you faster. The NHS’ My Planned Care tool allows you to find hospitals nearby and then look at waiting times by department.
- You have a choice where you’re treated – In most cases, you have a legal right to choose where you have your NHS surgery, known as patient choice. Under patient choice, you can request a referral to a different hospital, including private hospitals, if the waiting times are unsatisfactory (over 18 weeks for non-urgent treatment). If a private hospital already provides services to the NHS and will charge the same or less than a standard NHS hospital, you should be able to use them.
- Consider travelling for treatment. If all of your local hospitals have extended waiting times, use My Planned Care to see if there are any within reasonable travelling distance that have much shorter waits. Bear in mind that depending on the treatment you need, you may have to stay in the hospital after your treatment, so consider whether being further from home might present issues.
- Follow-up with your GP – Be sure to keep in touch with your GP so that changes to your planned treatment can be made if your condition worsens or the wait becomes unsatisfactory.
- Attend all of your appointments—Missing appointments is likely to delay treatment and waste valuable NHS resources. So do your best to attend all of your appointments, and if something comes up, call the hospital department in advance to reschedule so that your timeslot can go to someone else.
- Ask for a second opinion—If you think your case is more urgent, you could try asking for a second opinion. However, there’s no guarantee that you’ll receive a different outcome.
- Consider private treatment – Waiting times are much shorter in the private sector, and you can often find a private hospital that can treat you within 4-6 weeks. Before stumping up your own cash though, check to see if the NHS will cover the cost under their patient choice scheme.
Chris Steele, Editor of myTribe said:
It’s vital that people understand their options if they are stuck on a waiting list and that there are several ways you could reduce the time it takes to receive treatment. A lot can be achieved with research and speaking with your GP, and you may find that if you’re happy to travel, you can cut your waiting time dramatically. If all else fails, you can pay for the treatment yourself privately, but fees can run into tens of thousands of pounds, which, unless you have health insurance, will be a stretch for most.
About myTribe
myTribe is a consumer information website that helps people better understand their options when looking at “going private” for their healthcare needs. Started in 2019 by Chris Steele, the website’s importance and value have grown due to the challenges facing the NHS and the increasing number of people looking for alternative options. myTribe regularly commissions independent research into the topics that matter to people.
