So we had the private consultation yesterday, we’ve agreed to have the 7 day monitor. The consultant said the cost of that privately will be £389! That’s on top of the initial cost of consultation which is £200. I guess it’s something we need to prioritise as I want mum to feel better.
Surprised about cost of 7 day Holter ... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Surprised about cost of 7 day Holter monitor.
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Nickybhf
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Yes, private medicine costs mount up with the 'incidentals' but hopefully, your mum will get answers quickly.
I opted to have my cataracts done privately a few years ago - the cost was steep but what really gouged was the cost of two COVID tests which the hospital required - £180 each and could be done only by the hospital.
Yes, that’s why I thought we might as well go down the private route,
Gosh, that’s expensive- the Covid tests! But I guess you had treatment a lot quicker.
I had my cataracts done just over a year ago - thankfully the private hospital I went to a HMT hospital relied on me doing the covid tests. Luckily I belong to Benenden and for £13.00 a month had the cataract operations done for free. I wonder if other private hospitals which Benenden use such as Spire and Bupa would charge or not for the covid tests.
I think the hospital saw it as a marvellous money-spinner and, as they wouldn't accept LF tests or other private testers, patients were hostage to the charge. It did rankle with me as being a miserly milking of people and insurance companies.
Benenden is marvellous - I know I should have joined years ago when I was young(er) and had fewer ailments. I had very little left out of £5K but I can see!
Out of interest have you had your lenses repolished, and what did it cost ? (I remember the cost as mine were done recently)' I can't remember what the cataract pulverization cost but it was nothing like the South African equivalent of 5 thousand pounds, and it was done by an Edinburgh qualified ophthalmic surgeon! Anyhow, my Medical Aid Society paid for both!
No, mine haven't been polished - yet. The costs for the cataract surgery mounted up - 2 consultations, 2 operations and of course, the 2 COVID tests but it was either that or sit for 5 years or more on the local NHS waiting list.
It's worrying - just bear in mind when you have a polish that mine (both) cost R10,000 -divide by 20 to get to pounds - will be interesting to see the comparison, bearing in mind the surgeon does it himself in his rooms with all the equipment!
My initial cardiologist appointment during the pandemic was around £200, in fairness he told me it can get expensive to do all the investigations privately. He recommended having the echocardiogram (£400) and follow up consultation (£150) and then he would put me on his NHS list for six months time to do the Holter and Treadmill stress test on the NHS. My NHS echocardiogram came through over a year later.
Not sure if any of these investigations make you feel better to be honest but it’s more about peace of mind that you’re being diligent.
My AF was never captured by any of the investigations but I recorded over 40 episodes in 3 years on my Apple Watch and had one of them confirmed with an ECG on the day at my GP surgery prior to my private consultation.
Gosh, definitely is expensive. My concern is because it’s a heart condition, it’s got to be prioritised. When I see the wording on the letters, I find it scary. I don’t understand all the medical terms, but I felt yesterday, that the private consultation didn’t feel too rushed. I was able to ask questions etc
Plus the fact that the monitor will be put on mum next week rather than a long delay like you’ve mentioned.
This is always a good thing to try and do get seen initially by private consultation and any necessary tests and scans (which may have long waiting lists) and then see if they can put you on their NHS list. This is what I always try and do if it is possible.
That makes sense to go private initially . I did speak to cardiology last year to see if mum could be seen, I was told we’d be looking at at least a 9 month wait- possibly longer!
The monitor is called a Holter, and does a continuous electrocardiogram.
You’ll find more terminology on the following patient information booklet
api.heartrhythmalliance.org...
Good luck
Named after its inventor....... Dr. Norman J. Holter ( a biophysicist, not an MD)
I had a 14 day cardiostat wire free monitor in 2021 for £450. cardiostat.com/uki/home
So seems like that’s about right- the cost.
I am a bit surprised if it's the standard dangling wire variety. The advantage of the one I had, I didnt have to travel 25 miles to hospital to have it set up and then back again to return it. Worth asking GP but the wait might be intolerable if you are so concerned
Thankfully it’s only a few miles away to get it fitted, then the consultant said you post it back to the company who will send him the results.
That's great, mine came by post with instructions. They should sendyou the results too. It's particularly important to ask for copies, letters etc in the Private sector as they won't automatically appear in your NHS records.If you use 'Patient knows best' you can upload them. I also managed to do that to NHS GP notes either via nhs app or Airmid app. Sadly my Gp still rang via receptionist to ask if I had results. Receptionist said she could see them, but I still had to email. hey ho
Could your GP prescribe a holter monitor thru NHS ? And possibly an echocardiogram ?
Same situation in US, holter monitors and Zio Patches are quite expensive if individual has to pay. That said, the investment will provide a true, accurate assessment.
The kit is inexpensive and the overheads are minimal but private health in the UK is provided by a very small number of companies so there is no real competition. Some might say it's almost something like a cartel.
That's exactly the situation here in N Ireland - 1 conglomerate in charge.
Considering you can buy a top of the range professional cardiac ECG monitor on Amazon for at most 400 euros here in France, that is really a rip off price. But private medicine is there to make profits of course and charging a huge price for the 'hire' of such equipment is par for the course. There is nothing particularly special about a Holter monitor other than that it makes a series of continuous or spot readings over 24 hours but trying to get a better bargain with medical professionals is not something we can do.
I can share your feeling of outrage at the cost, but as you say, when it comes to your nearest and dearest we are all prepared to pay whatever it costs. The failure in the NHS to provide what is needed in a timely and economic way is really at the root of the problem.
And what is the root of the failure of the NHS ?
Lack of investment and expenditure, principally. Almost every other western European country spends far more on its health system than the UK.
Average day-to-day health spending in the UK between 2010 and 2019 was £3,005 per person – 18% below the EU14 average of £3,655.
If UK spending per person had matched the EU14 average, then the UK would have spent an average of £227bn a year on health between 2010 and 2019 – £40bn higher than actual average annual spending during this period (£187bn).
Matching spending per head to France or Germany would have led to an additional £40bn and £73bn (21% to 39% increase respectively) of total health spending each year in the UK.
Over the past decade, the UK had a lower level of capital investment in health care compared with the EU14 countries for which data are available. Between 2010 and 2019, average health capital investment in the UK was £5.8bn a year. If the UK had matched other EU14 countries’ average investment in health capital (as a share of GDP), the UK would have invested £33bn more between 2010 and 2019 (around 55% higher than actual investment during that period).
(I'm not supposed to put links to sources on here but you can find it easily by Googling 'how does UK health spending compare across Europe'. )
Thanks, Oscar. Very informative. Wonder what happend to the bus money?
I think, reading other people’s posts, that there are a lot of efficiency savings to be made too (my GP practice is very efficient by comparison with others, even in the same area) but they cost money as well.
I think that's the same everywhere. Here in France the real problem is the vast overprescribing of phamaceuticals. You take one thing and the doctor prescribes another to deal with the potential side effects of the first, he gives you a special skin treatment which MIGHT be necessary for something else and then asks you if you would like anything else which might be needed for another condition. So you might ask for some paracetamol on prescription or a dandruff lotion! In the pharmacists it is not unusual to see the French patient with a carrier bag full of stuff, much of which might never be taken or used. They are trying to cut down on this massive waste but it is so engrained into the patient and pharmaceutical industry that people think they are being short changed or not given proper treatment if they leave the surgery without at least half a dozen items on their prescription.
Certainly money can always be saved with no damage to the system.
Thank you for your reply, I was considering buying something myself but my main concern at the moment is to get to the route of the problem and helping to put mums mind at ease. At the moment I guess it’s a time of ‘desperate times, desperate measures.’
The fact that I’ve been told that the wait for an appointment would be at least 9 months & possibly longer has made me go down the private route.
In Italy we pay a "ticket" towards the cost of health care (lucky for me I am exempt). The real cost of things, including prescription drugs, is usually shown and it is really surprising how expensive a lot of the tests etc. are.
Yeah, I can imagine. I guess under the NHS, we don’t really think about how much things cost.
In France we have the system that covers the cost of 65% of medicines etc and most non emergency treatments, but you can get a relatively cheap insurance or 'mutuelle' (which almost everybody has) which covers almost all the additional costs. Compared to prescription charges in the UK it is probably cheaper for anybody chronically ill. If you have a serious illness which requires permanent treatment (in my case, with a stroke) you can get 100% free cover for a number of years, renewable by your doctor. But the converse is that just being a pensioner does not give you any special free prescription or treatment deal as in the UK. That's because in the French pension system, pensioners are probably some of the most well off in the country! 🤣
I think that should be introduced in some form here. There is always the worry that people won’t have treatment because they worry about the cost to the NHS but I think people blithely demand investigations and treatment with no idea what they’re asking for! When I had a very big back operation I was told to be very careful afterwards because the metal work alone cost £15000! It did make me appreciate what I was getting and how lucky I was.
About four days before the latest doctors strike just before Christmas my uncle 88 was taken into hospital by ambulance after the carer found little response as his blood pressure was found to be very low . The hospital said they were going to do all things but then said we would fit him with a pacemaker but it all changed because of the strike they did naff all and he was sent home asap. He has just received an appointment for next week for a 24hrheart monitor to be fitted . That in Liverpool so it’s only taken a couple of weeks if you’re close by. That said our hospitals have a history of killing the oldies off up here - The Liverpool Pathway if you remember is still in its prime.
Gosh, I hope your uncle gets the help he needs real soon. It’s sad to see the impact that the strikes have on people’s health. 😢
The Liverpool pathway was developed to prevent dying patients being subjected to hospital interventions which would serve no purpose and cause more distress. If it was misused that is a totally different ball game. Additionally the key to all good care is communication and explanation, patient and family/ carers need to be treated as part of the team, thus avoiding unreal expectations.
Hello, I think that's obscene! This is something that is used by many patients over and over again as a diagnostic device. It's a shame we are all having to go down the private path, even if we cannot afford it. I myself have used private as Dermatology waiting times are 3yrs, if it gives comfort maybe worth it, but sounds like it's a quick money maker. I wish you well and your mother whatever you decide. Best wishes
Thank you, I’m just fed up of constantly trying to get GP appointments initially, then being fobbed off! Then being told mum will be referred to see cardiology, but with such a long waiting list. Just calling our surgery is a mission, when I eventually get through, I say what I’m concerned about and get told ‘if your that worried, maybe you should be calling 111 instead of here!’
That's better value than my private charges 6 months ago. So glad I did it as there was an 18 month wait on the NHS route. It will be a very modern monitor though. Very comfortable to wear and none of the silly leads everywhere. And you can have a shower with no problems at all 🤣 Hope it will provide the basis for a good treatment plan for your mum. Money well spent, in my opinion.
Hi
If Mum's Dr refers her to a Cardiologist, he will ask for ECG, ECHO and 24-Heart Monitor .
A 24-hr Heart Monitor is enough.
Also your private C. can refer her back to a Monitor arranged publicaly.
There's also taking her to A&E or ringing your emergency number for ambulance to hospital as you are wotrried.
cheri JOY. 75. (NZ)
Hi Joy,
Thanks for your reply. I did speak to GP about being referred to cardiology, I also spoke to cardiology secretary and was told the approximate waiting time would be 10 months plus.
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