PATIENT INFORMATON FOR PRIVATE REFERRALS
If you have consulted with your GP and advised that you would like a private referral, please check with your insurance company that they will authorise this referral (and potential resultant investigations and treatments).
You can also make self-funded private appointments if you are uninsured.
It is important to remember that a private consultation will not result in further NHS specialist care being received quicker, and any further care or tests advised will need to be funded privately.
📞 Booking your private appointment
You will need to contact the relevant private hospital and department and make the private appointment yourself – your GP will have advised you which department /speciality to contact.
Once you have made the appointment, please phone the surgery to give us your details; we need:
· The name of the hospital you plan to attend
· The name of the Specialist
· The contact details for that Specialist
· The date and time of the appointment
· Your preferred contact details
When making your appointment in the private sector, please remember that you will need to allow our Practice 5 working days’ notice, to give us time to get your referral letter ready. You will not be charged for this letter, and you will need to collect it prior to your appointment.
If you receive a private prescription:
You can take it to any pharmacy
The Practice is not obliged to convert it to an NHS prescription
A GP consultation or a letter from the private clinician may be needed before any NHS prescription is issued
The Practice may change the medication to a suitable NHS alternative
Any tests recommended by your private consultant (blood tests, X‑rays, scans) should be carried out privately at the site of consultation. These will incur costs that you are responsible for.
If a private clinician asks for tests to be done at the Practice:
The Practice will charge for these investigations
The Health Board will also charge
Estimated costs for blood tests can be provided
Payment may be required before tests are carried out
Private X‑rays, ultrasound, CT or MRI scans must be arranged with a private radiology department. You will be given a radiology request form
Private blood tests may be processed through hospital laboratories or posted directly to the consultant.
Not all private results appear automatically on our system, so please provide us with a copy so we can add it to your medical record.