Hi all , I went to see my cardiologist Thursday , he's referred me to glenfield hospital in
Leicester for a consultation for a ablation , could anyone recommended how I go about getting a private consultation with the hope of having the procedure done on the nhs ,or is this even possible to do , and how do I go about finding the best man for the job at glenfield , or would anyone recommend anywhere closer to me in Nottingham ,hope everyone's well cheers Paul
Glenfield is a top heart hospital so maybe best to stay there. You can go onto their website to view details of the consultant EP's. I had a private appointment at the Leicester Spire hospital with Prof Ng -top guy. Look at their website to see other EP's who have private clinics there too. Just phone reception for an appointment. Good luck.
There is a list of specialists on the AFA website,
Find a specialist you want to see, go to your GP and say please write a referral letter to this specialist who I want to see privately, assuming he/she agrees a referral is appropriate, go straight home and ring the specialist and book your appointment,
Simples....
Hi there , my cardiologist has made the referral to glenfield when I went to see him on Thursday , but says it can take a while just for the consultation appointment to come through , I just wondered if I pay for the private consultation would it be quicker route to take , and would I then be able to have the ablation done on the nhs , thank you Paul
I haven't done this but I think a number of people on here have had the initial consultation privately costing around £300. They then reverted back to having treatment/ablation on NHS. Good luck
Hi Runcrans. I saw a cardiologist at Kettering last July who referred me for ablation to Mr Stafford at Glenfield. I saw him in October. I got a date for ablation of 8th December. As I had to start warfarin (chadsvasc =0) I had a problem getting anticoagulated in time and was therefore cancelled. After almost 2 months on warfarin was still not in therapeutic range despite taking 17mg per day! Consultant then agreed to me taking Apixaban, which needs to be taken for 30 days prior to ablation, have just got a date of 23rd February for the procedure. I hope this gives you an idea of nhs timeline. If you see one of the EPs privately at Spire Oadby you may reduce this time. But my experience is that it's the anticoagulation that creates the problems with waiting time, not sure going private would make any difference in this regard. Good luck whatever you choose to do. Debbie
Hi Debbie , thanks for all the info , I'm only going to pay for the consultation which by the look of it would save me about 8 weeks , then I will just wait in line for the procedure lol ,my cardiologist at kings mill mansfield has also mentioned mr Stafford what was your thoughts on him , the receptionist I spoke to at glenfield only mentioned two names down there mr leong and mr sandiland ? , all the best on the ablation please let me know how you get on cheers Paul
Hi. Mr Stafford is the head of the cardiac rhythm team I think. The others are Mr Sandilands and Mr Ng. I'm not sure how much time you will save to be honest. You have to tick all the boxes to be given the go ahead, if you fail on any criteria the wait will be lengthened. What you will get if you consult privately is an appointment that is on time and thorough. Spire Leicester in Oadby is very good, I have had 3 unrelated operations there. Mr Stafford was fine, would recommend him based on my experience. Didn't feel rushed like some NHS appointments. I have my pre-op assessment on 13th Feb, so hopefully it will all be OK to go ahead on 23rd. Cheers Debbie
Dear Debbie,
Did you have your ablation operation with Mr Stafford and how did it go. I am currently waiting to see him.
Kind Regards
Barry
Hi Barry
My procedure was cancelled on 23rd Feb as Mr Stafford had a more urgent case. I was then offered a replacement date of 25th Feb with Dr Riyaz Somani. The waiting list is a shared list at Glenfield, you are not guaranteed to get your consultant. While I wasn't sure I was comfortable with someone operating on you who you hadn't met I was more than pleased with Dr Somani who had a very nice bedside manner. I had a groin bleed and swelling around the heart so had an extra night in hospital. All good since with only minor symptoms. Go back early June.
If you want to know any more I am more than happy for you to contact me.
Regards
Debbie
Dear Debbie,
Thank you for your response. Did you have Atrial Flutter or AF, and what blood thinning did you have prior to the operation as I believe there are now more drugs to have apart from warfarin.
Kind Regards
Brian
Hi Barry
I have/hopefully had(!) PAF.
I started with warfarin (still the default anticoagulant) but after getting to 17mg per day and still nowhere near in range after 7/8 weeks they agreed to Apixaban which I had to take for 30 days before they would consider going ahead with the ablation. So total of 3 months to get anticoagulated. Don't think they consider the NOACs as a first line option as they prefer the known quantity that warfarin is. I hated it and Apixban is brilliant compared.
Where are you at with your AF journey? I take it you aren't anticoagulated by the question.
Kind regards
Debbie
Dear Debbie,
Thank you for your reply. I have Atrial Flutter (paroxysmal), diagnosed last Nov on a chance ECG. Currently on bisoprolol. Only found this fantastic website in the last month or so
and starting to learn a lot more from it.
Did you at the time suggest aprixaban yourself or was it offered to you, as warfarin was clearly not working for you in this case.
I believe there are 3 more drugs on the market beside warfarin,
are you allowed to suggest the one you want (or do costs come into it).
Pleased that aprixaban worked for you, are you now off it, or do you have to continue with it for a while longer till your next appt.
Kind Regards
Barry
Hi Barry
I was given a list that Mr Stafford was happy with me taking. I then had to see what my GP could prescribe. Rivaroxaban had been flagged as red and therefore not prescribable by my practice. I think Dabigatran could have been prescribed as well as Apixaban. I didn't choose, just ended up with Apixaban.
Still taking, will see what EP says at my review in June. He may suggest stopping as my chadsvasc score was 0 prior to ablation, not sure which way he will go, to be honest I would be happy to continue but at 52 years old he may say stop.
Would like to stop the verapamil though. Hated the bisoprolol which I was on before verapamil, so tired and lacking in energy, felt half dead! Sorry not sure what Atrial Flutter is. I have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF).
As I said warfarin is the nhs first option as its the cheapest. You usually have to have a reason to go on to the NOACs. I think all the NOACS have a similar cost.
Hope that helps
Debbie
Dear Debbie,
Thanks for your reply. Atrial flutter is a common arrhythmia that shares many similarities to it's next of kin AFib.
Looks like you are very happy with apixaban.
From what I have read about these three new drugs and of course it's early days yet, apixaban may be
the best of these new anticoagulants.
If I remember correctly Bob has mentioned on the forum somewhere, that this would be his choice if he moved off warfarin.
I will see what my options are when I see my EP in due course, and then see what my surgery can offer me.
Kind Regards
Barry
A couple of years ago I had a referral from my GP, at my request, to a Heart Rhythm Specialist / EP of my choice, privately. I can't remember whether I had one or two consultations but I can remember each one was £150. He recommended a 2nd ablation which he did on the NHS. I had to wait quite a long time for the ablation, MUCH longer than my first one which was done privately 10 years ago.
My GP said that I can;t go between private and NHS more than once, but my EP said this is incorrect. You can't do it with one "event" or something like that. The fact you have AF is not an event, each little element is an event. I've got all the details wrong but hope you get the gist and you can check for yourself. Put it like this, it isn't a problem (my EP's words).
Koll
I cant answer the private/NHS question but I am under Dr/Mr Riyas Somani - who is absolutely fabulous. Brilliant man. I went private and had all my procedures done at Nottingham Spire, but when I was acute and admitted to Glenfield 3 times he was also my consultant there, real consistency to my care (I appreciate that is very unusual). I can honestly say he is one of the best.
I assume paying for the initial consultations will get you on the consultants patient list, which will be of great benefit with getting medications etc correct. Will this aid in the speed of NHS? I would assume that is all based on need v resources so I don't think it would make any difference.
I cant answer the question re NHS/Consultation. But went Private and Dr Riyas Somani is brilliant, he cared for me at the spire and at Glenfield when I was acute, so I had consistency of care.
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