There are now two main options for people considering private medical treatment: Self-pay and Private Medical Insurance.
Further information and guidance is provided for each method. For those considering self-pay, Typical fees for operations gives guide ranges for the fees charged for the most frequent operations carried out in private hospitals. This section also contains links to hospital groups which will give a provisional personal quotation for treatment.
CareHealth has commissioned a Guide to assessing private hospitals from the Health Quality Service, associated with the King's Fund, the UK's leading charity researching medical issues. This highlights the critical factors to look for when assessing private hospitals, focusing on quality of medical care and resources. This section describes the steps involved in obtaining treatment on a self-pay basis.
The structure of the private hospital market describes the main private hospital groups in the UK, including private patient provision within NHS Trusts.
CareHealth directory of private hospitals then provides detailed information on all acute medical private hospitals in the UK, including private patient units within NHS Trust Hospitals. There is a search facility allowing you to select hospitals on criteria including location, quality standards accreditation and specialist areas of expertise.
For those considering insurance based approaches to private medical care, the section on Policies and Premiums gives brief details of the schemes offered by the main health insurance companies, covering both full insurance and high excess options. Links to obtain further information are given for participating companies.
Private health news covers all the latest developments in private health: political, commercial and medical. Improving standards in private health monitors initiatives being promoted by the independent healthcare sector and the Government to raise standards. Links are given for further information.
CareHealth forum is an area where visitors to the CareHealth site can share experiences of the treatment they and their relatives have received in private hospitals covering medical, administrative and financial aspects.
The Useful Links page collects together all the external links referenced in the site, plus others of interest.