A Journey into Private Healthcare

In a couple of weeks I celebrate my 10 year working relationship with the NHS (either working for or with the NHS). I a strong advocate of the NHS, and I have worked with some fantastic clinicians, managers and staff. I don't really believe in private healthcare.

Some of you will be aware that last Christmas I had pneumonia. It was so severe that I spent two days as an inpatient, and was discharged on Christmas Day. The care I received in the hospital was fantastic, although the environment was grim. Also, I was on a mixed ward. The first night I felt uncomfortable, because there were 4 men and 2 women on my ward. The next night the ratios had changed: 5 women and 1 man. I felt a lot more comfortable, but I could tell that the man in the bed opposite certainly didn't.

Anyway, although to a large extent I have recovered from my illness. I still have some pain in my left lung when I cough, sneeze or yawn. It's not acute enough to need to take pain killers, but it's obvious that my lung isn't functioning as well as it should do. So 2 months ago I went back to my GP to discuss this. I had a series of tests in my local primary care centre (all in accordance with best practice and national guidelines) and the outcome was that I'm clear of the infection, but it is suspected that the severity of my pneumonia has caused significant damage that will take some time to heal. I was then given two options:

1) Come back in 2 months time if I don't feel better;

2) Be referred to the consultant at the local hospital for further routine tests. But as this was a minor illness, it is highly likely that I'll be seen by a junior doctor who probably won't know that much about my lungs, and probably won't know any more than my mature, experienced GP.

So I presented a third option. My husband has private healthcare. Could I go down that route? My GP immediately seized on this idea as I would have further tests but be seen by a consultant. And I was lucky enough to be referred to the same consultant that admitted me to an NHS hospital in December. However, I felt like I was betraying my beloved NHS by going down this route.

I presented at my local private hospital two weeks ago and was immediately struck by the differences:

- I was able to park my car easily in the car park

- I didn't have to pay any parking fees

- The reception staff looked very smart in their matching uniforms

- There were lots of reception staff who managed the chaos in the waiting room efficiently

- I was seen on time by my Consultant

- He spent 40 minutes with me

I left with an action plan (ie more diagnostic tests) and a feeling of being impressed by my first experience in private healthcare: I even told my consultant this and gave spontaneous positive feedback to the phlebotomist!

A week later I was back for my CT scan. Again, it was easy to park and I was seen on time. I was impressed by the fact that I could put my belongings in a locked cabinet, and I was given a dressing gown to wear over my radiography gown (unlike in the NHS, where you sit in a corridor with the gown gaping at the back. Some strategic sitting and walking is required in local radiography department).

But this is where the illusion was shattered. (If you're a bit squeamish - then please jump to the next paragraph) Firstly, they had to do the scan twice, as the iodine that they pumped through my body didn't flow quickly enough during the first scan. And secondly, when they took the iodine tube out, blood started to “leak” out of my canula. And when I say “leak” - that's an understatement. The senior radiographer started to panic as she failed to stop the blood flow. There was blood all over the CT bench, the floor, on my hands (I had joined in with the attempt to stop the flow), and additional staff were called in to help. One clinician asked - does this usually happen with you? Of course my answer was "No". We got through quite a few gauzes before the flow was stopped.

I felt a bit rubbish for the rest of the day - but at least I had an excuse to put sugar in my tea and eat lots of chocolate. But it left me pondering why did I feel so let down?

For me the quality of clinical care I receive is my priority, and I felt that I had been let down by receiving poor healthcare during my CT scan. I then realised, that I had irrationally believed that the level of clinical care I would receive during my private healthcare experience would be of a higher quality than the NHS's equivalent. I say irrational - because I work in / with the NHS, and I know that the staff who work in the private sector all trained in the NHS. Consultants in the private sector have to hold an NHS Consultant level post simultaneously.

So what's so great about private healthcare? I now realise that the key difference is customer service. All the things that impressed me are related to customer service. Does this make me superficial or is it that I’ve bought into a world of consumerism? To be honest, I think it’s a bit of both.

The outcome: I’ve stopped feeling guilty about turning my back on the NHS by seeking private healthcare: the nice insurance company are paying for me to have the same quality of treatment as I would have received in the NHS. It’s just in a nicer building, with staff in matching uniforms and I don’t have to pay parking fees. And they're nice when you bleed all over the floor & the equipment.

So I'm back to see the consultant next week. I'll appraoch this next visit with my new insight and I'm hoping for a little less blood loss too.