Private hospitals
Private hospitals refer to for-profit medical institutions. Compared with the NHS system in Britain, private hospitals need people to pay for themselves, not the government. It is generally similar in nature to domestic hospitals. Their medical service prices are liberalized, they operate independently according to law and pay taxes according to regulations. They are distributed all over Britain, providing people with the best quality and fast medical services.
British private hospitals VS British public hospitals
So what are the advantages and disadvantages of private hospitals for public hospitals?
High efficiency: Compared with British public hospitals, the high efficiency of private hospitals is the most important thing for everyone. There is no threshold, anyone can see a doctor, and there is no need for long queues and appointments. Especially for some diseases related to life safety, choosing a private hospital will save a lot of worry. It is basically an appointment for examination and treatment on the same day. Unless some famous large private hospitals, the treatment will not last more than a week, and the efficiency is much higher than that of public hospitals.
Expensive: Compared with the free NHS system, private hospitals that need to pay by themselves are much more expensive. It's really expensive. For general colleges, the price of consultation alone is above 100. It is normal for a minor operation to cost two or three thousand yuan.
For example, our teacher had to perform full femtosecond laser surgery on eyes before. After comprehensively evaluating the resources in Britain and China, she finally chose to do it in Shanghai. The reason is that the same instrument costs more than 6,000 pounds (converted into nearly 60,000 RMB at that time) in British private hospitals, while it costs only 28,000 yuan in Shanghai, and the price difference is more than half.
: process of seeing a doctor
1. Make an appointment with a general practitioner.
Everyone knows that the first step to see a doctor in Britain is to make an appointment for GP examination, and it is free. There are also two situations here. One is China residents in the UK, which belongs to the NHS free medical care category. It is recommended to go to GP to diagnose the disease first, and decide whether to go to a public or private hospital according to the advice of GP doctor. After all, there are free resources. If the queue time in public hospitals is long, consider private hospitals as appropriate; The second category is non-British residents, such as tourists with British tourist visas, visiting scholars, and visa holders for visiting relatives. Those who have not registered GP can go directly to private hospitals.
Here, we should focus on visiting relatives visa. Because Bonley met a friend's mother before and came to live in Britain for three months on a visiting visa. I've been sick for three months. At that time, Bonley accompanied this friend to several local GPs. Because my aunt didn't register GP in time after she arrived in England, the local GP refused to accept patients and pushed them all to private hospitals. Later, I talked to other Chinese about this matter, and many people have encountered similar situations. It is suggested that tourists with visiting visas or tourist visas should go directly to the hospital for emergency treatment if they encounter diseases during their stay in the UK, instead of making an appointment with a local general practitioner.
2. Make an appointment with a private hospital by phone
If you decide to go to a private hospital, you need to make an appointment by phone in advance. The procedure is the same as making an appointment with a general practitioner. GP and private hospitals belong to two completely different systems and need to make separate appointments.
The method of making an appointment is simple. You can make an appointment by phone or online. Official website in general private hospitals can make an appointment online. When making an appointment, you need to tell the other party what kind of treatment you need so that the hospital can make an appointment with the corresponding outpatient doctor.
3. Go to the hospital.
Go to the hospital according to the appointment time and report to the reception desk (front desk). The hospital has a good record, and the person who made the appointment has already arrived at the hospital. Then sit in the hall and wait for the call, which is basically the same as in China.
4. How to buy medicine?
After the examination, the attending doctor will give you a prescription.
In Britain, hospitals and medicines are separated, instead of forcing you to go to the hospital to buy medicines. Whether it is NHS hospital or private hospital, you need to take a prescription to the outside pharmacy to buy medicine. Bozi pharmacy is the most commonly used one. The price of prescription drugs is controlled by the National Health Service. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are free, and England needs a prescription fee of 8.20.
5. How to pay?
Due to the extremely high medical expenses of private hospitals in Britain, many private hospitals pay for treatment in advance. It is more humane to think about it. Save people first, then consider charging, instead of being cold and without money, regardless of people's lives. You can pay at the front desk immediately after reading it, or you can pay slowly when you get home. Sometimes medical expenses are collected from the doctor's account instead of the hospital's account, so it is best to go home and wait for the invoice (bill), and then transfer it to the designated account after getting the invoice.
6. About medical insurance in Britain
Having said that, how can we save the cost of seeing a doctor in a private hospital, which is so expensive? This is about commercial medical insurance. Bonley knows Bupa, the largest medical insurance group in Britain, and the medical insurance purchased by the teacher's company.
Bupa, as the largest medical insurance group in Britain, has a history of more than half a century. Its business includes commercial medical insurance, hospitals and medical services, and medical care services. In Britain, Bupa operates nearly 30 private hospitals, more than 290 nursing homes and many nursing homes. Then the question is, why do you need Bupa, a paid medical insurance, when Britain's comprehensive free medical system is so perfect?
Obviously, Bupa, as a profit-making organization, is superior to NHS medical system in terms of service and efficiency. When the family income reaches a certain level, it is necessary to buy medical insurance in order to pursue more efficient and better medical services. In many large enterprises in Britain, companies will buy Bupa commercial insurance for their employees. Bupa will regularly organize professionals to the company for free physical examination for employees, and then give corresponding suggestions according to the physical condition of employees, or recommend them to Bupa Hospital for treatment. As a member of Bupa, you can avoid the trouble of queuing for an appointment. You have priority in all aspects, and medical expenses can be reimbursed for more than 80%.
If the family has a good income and wants better medical services, you can consider buying this kind of commercial medical insurance.
Recommended by British private hospitals
With the improvement of living standards in China, some patients with financial ability began to choose overseas medical treatment, hoping to get better treatment. Although Britain is not the most popular medical destination in the wave of China people going abroad for medical treatment, because many people are discouraged by the high cost of treatment, it has attracted more and more attention from China patients because of its many world-leading medical research institutions and medical resources. British medical care is as world-renowned as the United States, and enjoys a world reputation in cancer, heart, nerve and transplantation. There are many well-known medical experts in Europe and the world, and there are also many well-known medical institutions, such as University College London.
Wellington Hospital (Wellington Hospital, UK)
Wellington Hospital in London, England is probably the most famous private hospital in Britain. It is the largest private hospital in Britain and one of the largest private hospitals in Europe. In the medical field, it is famous for cardiology, neurosurgery, liver and rehabilitation, obstetrics and gynecology, and orthopedics. It is also the largest sports medicine hospital in Britain. This hospital is the one where Liu Xiang received professional treatment after being injured. The surgeon who operated on Liu Xiang was Nick Cullen, the most famous sports medicine expert. His treatment of ankle and achilles tendon enjoys a high reputation in Britain.
London Bridge Hospital (London Bridge Hospital)
London Bridge Hospital is also one of the largest private hospitals in the UK, which belongs to American Hospital Group (HCA). It has a history of more than one hundred years since its establishment. The hospital is located on the south bank of the Thames in central London, overlooking the Thames and Tower Bridge in London. Superior geographical location and extensive transportation network have become the unique advantages of hospitals.
The heart treatment center of London Bridge Hospital is one of the outstanding centers in Britain and enjoys an excellent reputation in Britain and even the whole world. In addition to the heart treatment center, London Bridge Hospital has also made great achievements in cancer treatment. This is a world-class private hospital, providing various cancer treatment services for patients from all over the world. Its treatment scope includes cholangiocarcinoma, brain cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, urinary system cancer, blood system cancer, skin cancer, neuroendocrine cancer and so on.
To find more private hospitals in the UK, please go to NHS official website, UK, click on the service near you, enter your UK address postcode, and then search for private hospitals, and the list of private hospitals near your home will come out.