Using private insurance (work benefit) in UK

Some recent health issues have necessitated that I finally suck it up and go to the doctor here, however I am unsure exactly how to proceed.  I receive private insurance through my job, but it is allocated in a lump sum payment in my monthly check.  I spoke to a work buddy who used it and said that I need to first register with a local surgery and then ask for a referral and say that i have private coverage.  Is this the right approach?

Also, I am confused about how payment works with private providers - is there a deductible, do I get to choose a provider, etc.  I checked on the work-provided website and with friend and it doesn't sound like there is, and he went through a whole battery of tests last spring for a mystery illness and wasn't charged a penny.

This isn't urgent, but I am really tired of feeling run down and ill and would like to get some tests done.

I'm assuming you're covered for NHS care with your EEA residence card?

First thing you need to do is register with a GP (if you haven't already), then make a free NHS appointment with the doctor. When you go to the appointment, tell the doctor what is bothering you and ask if he can do some tests. If the tests are covered on the NHS, they will be done for free and you won't need to worry about private insurance or paying for anything.

If it turns out that they aren't covered by the NHS, then you can ask for a referral go to private... and I think it's only when you have a referral to a private doctor or consultant that you need to bring up any private cover you have.

A few years ago I was feeling really run down and tired and my mum thought it might be anaemia. So I made a doctor's appointment, told the doctor my concerns and he ordered a blood test to test for various things...I made an appointment with the nurse for a blood test, had the test, got the results (turned out nothing was actually wrong) and went home... I didn't pay a penny as it was all on the NHS.

Private insurance generally isn't required for most things in the UK as a lot of treatment and tests are covered by the NHS...usually people only use their private cover for extra things that either aren't covered on the NHS or to skip waiting lines for treatment... for example, my mum has used her company health cover to pay for some physiotherapy session for a bad knee, and her friend paid out of pocket to get a hip replacement done much quicker than it would have been on the NHS (i.e. only a 3-week wait for the operation vs. 3 months).

I had private health insurance provided through my job at no cost to me when I used to work in the UK but I never needed to use it for myself, wife or small children, and we used the NHS many times but never had delays in getting referrals where we felt we needed to use it.  This included a couple of years where our son, starting at age 3, over a couple of years had several febrile convulsions and was immediately referred to a specialist, with no waiting period.

Also in that time I had a swollen ankle the morning after playing soccer and I went to see my GP on a Saturday morning.  He examined me, wrote a referral letter and sent me to the ER where I was seen immediately and following X-rays determined that I had torn ligaments.  Over the next few weeks I had a cast for 7 days followed by tight dressings that they changed every week and examined me. Excellent care, never needed to resort to the private insurance, but it felt nice to have in case I ever needed it.

I have private healthcare.  I'll make this quick.  See your GP as stated above.  There is usually no deductible for private.  You don't choose a provider either as the network is already chosen or provided for you as part of what your employer chose.  Once referred I advise you call the private provider and they will ask you what you are being seen for possibly and which location you'd like to go to and any preferences you have such as gender preference, etc.  It's sort of a pre-qualification but not any huge hassle.  It just saves you headaches down the road.  After that, enjoy the prompt service.


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The main use people make of private healthcare in the Uk is for recuperation.  My friend had two moles removed by the NHS last week and spent this week recovering in a nice BUPA hospital, she has a private room, nice food  and gets wine with dinner - although she is a bit upset they limited her to half a bottle a night.