After my meltdown yesterday (still no diagnosis even though I now meet all the criteria), my friend has ‘surprised’ me by booking me in with my neurologist but at his private practice. I am now feeling very scared that I will be labelled as a queue jumper and won’t be taken seriously by the ms team. Will this happen?
Obviously I am over the moon as the waiting is awful and I have a university exam to prepare for, but I don’t want to compromise my care and I am really hoping my diagnosis will now be changed from probable to definite.
If a friend has been kind enough to pay for you, grab it with both hands!
It’s more than likely you will see the very same consultant you would have seen on the NHS anyway - just much sooner.
He’s not going to hold it against you that you met in private practice first. If he didn’t believe in private practice, he wouldn’t be offering it, would he?
As for what anybody else on the NHS thinks, well tough! In my experience, it’s the neuro who calls the shots, so more junior staff have to toe the line. Even if some of his team ARE prejudiced against private patients, it’s illegal for them to carry their political prejudices into the workplace, and treat you less favourably. They can think what they like, but NOT treat you differently.
Had to jump in and share my experience. After an 18 year history of problems and a probable MS dx in 2003. In 2008 the neuro said mild MS and no referral to the MS team. and I was so pleased that I was not going mad, I said thanks and left. I had hundreds of questions and still no nearer an exact dx as mild hardly seemed fitting to explain why I was having so many problems at home and work. So I paid to go to the private clinic and what that bought me was time - time to explain my history, my concerns, my symptom, my need for a more positive assessment so that I could get help to remain in work. I then paid for a spinal MRI, which revealed nothing, and a 2nd appt at the private clinic to get the results. It seems that it worked as those private appointments also gave the neuro time to examine my MRIs, consult with the neuroradiologist and then give me a positive RRMS dx. History + MRI+ exam. He then signed me back to NHS and referred me to the MS team. So go for it, but don’t waste it. I wrote a timeline of my sx when, they developed, how long they lasted, etc. and a paragraph of ‘then’ and ‘now’ which I read to him to explain what this illness had done to me in the previous 5 years. Prepare, prepare, prepare is my advice. Good luck, Pat
I went private in stafford to well know s consultant and although i got peace of knowing yes its ms and NHS neuro went awol and refused to accept the results even after 12yrs im still no further forward so i guess yes it is good for peace of mind but research how your NHS handles private patients going back to NHS mine hate it with passion and belive once your a private patient then stay private.
Hi, I saw the neuro privately a few times before I was diagnosed, to get betaferon he referred me back to the nhs, but still with him, I have had no problems as a result of this. Go for it and lots of luck. Cheryl:-)
Hi, I went private and yes it buy’s you time with the consultant, I was with him for about 2 hours… make sure you write a list of ALL your symptoms even if you don’t think that they are relavent. If you don’t do this, you will forget to mention something. I also had no problems going back with NHS.
I had two private appointments before being transferred to the NHS (beneden insurance) and got much longer with the NHS one. Will they have access to all your NHS records before you attend as mine didn’t.
I also went to my first appointment private, and then was referred back to the same consultant on the NHS its caused no problems to me, as everyone else says, grab it
but was told by the secretary of a Neuro some years ago, that if I went privately to see him ALL treatment I needed, from his appointmen,t would also have to be paid privately.!
