BUPA - What DOES it cover?

Free prescriptions here, too.  Wales is amazing!

Aaaaand I just got off the phone.  They don't have a record of my visit with the GP!  They see where I saw the nurse for the asthma clinic, but then I had a long GP appointment immediately after, and I left my records that I brought over with me from America with him... Ugh.  They took my number and are looking into this for me.  So, they didn't just lose my cardiology referral, apparently.  Good that I phoned!

Put this in your diary and follow up in one week if you have not heard back from them by then. 

Free prescriptions here, too.  Wales is amazing!

Aaaaand I just got off the phone.  They don't have a record of my visit with the GP!  They see where I saw the nurse for the asthma clinic, but then I had a long GP appointment immediately after, and I left my records that I brought over with me from America with him... Ugh.  They took my number and are looking into this for me.  So, they didn't just lose my cardiology referral, apparently.  Good that I phoned!

To give you an idea when one of us has had a referral.  Usually within a few days, we get a letter in the mail that is a copy of the referral letter.  And then usually a bit later, another letter with an appointment date.  So it should never be more than two weeks or so after you visit a GP before you get a letter.  If it has been, always chase.

To give you an idea when one of us has had a referral.  Usually within a few days, we get a letter in the mail that is a copy of the referral letter.  And then usually a bit later, another letter with an appointment date.  So it should never be more than two weeks or so after you visit a GP before you get a letter.  If it has been, always chase.

Wow, okay.  Now I know.  I blame all the people who complained about how slow referrals are on NHS!  They led me to expect a long wait.  I didn't realize this was abnormal.  *shakes fist in their general direction*

Wow, okay.  Now I know.  I blame all the people who complained about how slow referrals are on NHS!  They led me to expect a long wait.  I didn't realize this was abnormal.  *shakes fist in their general direction*

More like you get your appointment in May and the appointment is in December.  Not that it takes six months for the appointment date to arrive. 

More like you get your appointment in May and the appointment is in December.  Not that it takes six months for the appointment date to arrive. 

Got it.  So now that I've phoned them, I should be able get notified of an appointment within the next few weeks (once they sort out that I do actually exist!), even if the appointment isn't until next year. 

Update to my saga of lost notes: I have an appointment this afternoon and I have coordinated with my neighbor for transportation to said appointment.  Hopefully, I'm getting a ball rolling now and can start the process of getting in to a cardiologist.  I just can't figure out why they don't have any record of my visit last year.  I am beginning to wonder if that man that examined me last year was really the doctor!   

(I think--hope!--that's just a joke...)

Update to my saga of lost notes: I have an appointment this afternoon and I have coordinated with my neighbor for transportation to said appointment.  Hopefully, I'm getting a ball rolling now and can start the process of getting in to a cardiologist.  I just can't figure out why they don't have any record of my visit last year.  I am beginning to wonder if that man that examined me last year was really the doctor!   

(I think--hope!--that's just a joke...)

Well done, and good luck with your visit.

When I got my cardio appointment (after much pressing at my GP's office) early 2017 I fortunately took in copies of my test results from the USA in 2015 (24hr heart monitor, nuclear stress test and echocardiogram). Just as well I did as although I had given them to by GP's office and had a call a few days later to pick them up, with a note saying that they had been scanned in, the hospital knew absolutely nothing about them and were pleased to see my history.

I am on a 6 month recall and have learned not to hang around waiting.  6 months was up a week or so ago so I called them and discovered that I was not scheduled so they then set up an appointment for me. The good thing about now being registered with the cardio unit is that I have a "hospital number" that they ask for. After my first recall visit in September last year I had another echocardiogram and after about a month I called to see what the results were to discover that I was supposed to have received an appointment letter for that day and was due there in 30 minutes. I did make that appointment but no appointment letter ever arrived.

I just can't figure out why they don't have any record of my visit last year.  I am beginning to wonder if that man that examined me last year was really the doctor!   

(I think--hope!--that's just a joke...)

Excellent news about the appointment... but seriously, those things happen! 

The good thing about now being registered with the cardio unit is that I have a "hospital number" that they ask for.

This.  Once you are into a specialist - ask them not to discharge you back to your GP.  Then if something happens again in the future, you don't need to be referred again.  Both my kids are under pediatric care and they are happy to not discharge us.  When something seems off, I can call the pediatrician's office directly instead of going through the GP.   

I'm back and none the wiser about why I'm starting over, but the GP had a listen and is putting the referral in (again, for the first time).  He said there could be a wait, but I'll hear something, at least.  And I got my maintenance inhaler prescription refilled.  So, success all around.

I love that we were on the way home with presvription in hand 20 minutes after my appointment was scheduled to begin, yet I didn't feel like they were rushing me through.  He seemed genuinely concerned about sorting this out for me.  Yay!

I'm back and none the wiser about why I'm starting over, but the GP had a listen and is putting the referral in (again, for the first time).  He said there could be a wait, but I'll hear something, at least.  And I got my maintenance inhaler prescription refilled.  So, success all around.

I love that we were on the way home with presvription in hand 20 minutes after my appointment was scheduled to begin, yet I didn't feel like they were rushing me through.  He seemed genuinely concerned about sorting this out for me.  Yay!

Excellent news!

Excellent news!

+1 

I'm back and none the wiser about why I'm starting over, but the GP had a listen and is putting the referral in (again, for the first time).  He said there could be a wait, but I'll hear something, at least.  And I got my maintenance inhaler prescription refilled.  So, success all around.

I love that we were on the way home with presvription in hand 20 minutes after my appointment was scheduled to begin, yet I didn't feel like they were rushing me through.  He seemed genuinely concerned about sorting this out for me.  Yay!

And no bill!  So glad you're back on track! 

BUPA wouldn't cover the things listed in your original post. My husband can get it through his work and I started filling out the forms for myself and *everything* falls as a pre existing condition or not covered. I might be able to get some new diagnoses with it if it ever came up as unrelated to the million things already wrong with me, but that is pretty useless.

I'm glad you got the instructions for how to get the NHS referral! I hope your GP is far more receptive than mine.

We got a BUPA option at work last year and no one took it out A.) Because there is not a BUPA hospital or services even remotely close ,  B.)  As a general rule, wait times aren't too bad here and C.) Because it doesn't cover exist pre-existing conditions

I'm glad you have got things sorted out, make sure you stay on top of things if you're not getting your letters, etc.