We respect the universal right of any patient to choose (and pay for) a private provider. However, it is never an NHS GP’s responsibility to request tests or prescribe medications on behalf of that provider, purely for the purposes of reducing the cost burden of private care for the patient or for the purposes of reducing waiting times to assessment and/or treatment, and due consideration must always be given towards proper clinical oversight and patient safety.
If you are concerned you might not get the investigations and medications you need as part of the care from your private provider, you are advised to purchase or negotiate a package with your private provider that includes all of this. If your private provider simply says, don’t worry, your GP will just do it, they are providing you with false assurance and factually incorrect information.
Ultimately, should patients require any tests or medications as part of the care given by a private provider, the private provider themselves can request tests or supply medication to the patient for the appropriate fee.
NHS guidance is very clear that private and NHS care should be kept as clearly separate as possible, so that funding, legal status, liability and accountability can be clearly defined. Patients should bear the full costs of any private service they choose to use. NHS resources should never be used to subsidise the cost of any private care. We do appreciate that this may be difficult for patients to accept as it is often perceived that seeking private care can in turn reduce pressure on NHS services. This may well be true but we must follow the guidance outlined above and keep both separate.
We as MHP GPs will never convert the first private prescription from a private provider to an NHS prescription. We will consider continuing to prescribe medication if it is appropriate medication for the condition being treated and if it is medication that we are able to prescribe for NHS patients with the same condition. If it is a specialist-only medication, not licensed for that condition or there are other limitations on prescribing, then all future prescriptions will need to be provided by the private provider. We will also not provide tests on the NHS that are requested by a private provider.
If you wish to be seen by an NHS specialist, due to the ongoing costs of the private treatment, tests or prescriptions, then this referral can be made by the private specialist. They may cite reasons such as “needing to allow the referral to be counted properly” or “sent on the correct pathway” or “I can’t refer to myself on the NHS” as reasons for requesting this from GPs. These are all incorrect. Your private provider can, and should, refer to an NHS specialist if requested. Therefore, these requests will be returned to them with a request to do this themselves. If this is suggested to you, please make this clear to them at the time of the appointment.
NB Although they can also do urgent cancer referrals themselves, we will do these when asked as we have more experience and expertise in sending these referrals and do not want to risk any delays in care.