A familiar story - I can't see my NHS cardiologist right now, despite my GP writing since October, the cardiac rehab team writing and a couple of calls myself... I don't blame the NHS or the medics, but it is frustrating all the same.
Following myocarditis last July, a couple of months ago I really felt like I was breaking through and was seeing real improvement. But these last few weeks have been awful, and to the extent I'm now worried I've developed heart failure. At 35, that's not ideal.
So I'm thinking on Monday I ask my GP for one last push, and if there's nothing then I take the plunge and pay to see a private cardiologist. To that end, I was wondering if anyone had a rough idea how much it would skin me for a consultation and an echo?
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Captain_Birdseye
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Are you doing anything yourself in order to bring about your appoint. with cardio.?
Ask to go on a cancellation list....every dept has one.Also I go to the hospital and explain what is happening/and/or ask to go on the cancellation list if you have been unsuccesful in reaching the dept. by phone. I have been quite successful with this approach. A few weeks ago got my husband an echo.within a week instead of waiting a few months. You have to fight your own corner these days,every man or woman for themselves.
Believe it or not, I'm pretty proactive 🙂 I live a 30 min drive from the hospital so I used to just go if I needed to.Sadly I've only been able to call recently as I work full time, office hours - as does the secretary - so going in isn't a productive option. I don't have time to make the trip during lunch either due to distance.
have you tried email? If you can get secretary email address, she “shouldn’t” ignore it. Fully explain how you are at present healthwise, your concerns and ask how long before get to see consultant. This has helped me a lot. Are you sure you’re on the waiting list / in the queue- that’s worth confirming via email. May not get appointment any quicker but at least you’re in queue. Hope you make progress.
I’ve had emails after having telephone conversation- they should be able to give you waiting time idea OR reason why consultant isn’t seeing you. Having read post again is that they will see you but the wait is the issue?
That's right, the consultant responded to my HP to say they would see me in clinic (back in October), but despite further pushing have had no appointment yet due to them struggling with wait times and priority cases... I think I've been put lower down the priorities as they believe it's myocarditis flare ups, but my GP communicated a couple of weeks ago that my symptoms had developed so had hoped it might trigger something.
If you are considering to go to a private medical provider find one local to you that offers cardio (like Nuffield or Spire) and then pick a consultant who perhaps also practices within your local NHS Trust. Having done that you may find guide prices on the provider's website for the consultations and tests you may require. If not talk to your local provider's hospital. If it's any a help first consultations are usually of the order of £200-£250 with follow ups less. And I suggest you prepare your questions and notes beforehand preferably with some sort of briefing document to maximise the benefit of the consultation you are paying for.
I'd need to travel to a city to see someone private anyway so not sure what the odds are of getting someone in my trust - but given that trust are currently under investigation by the government it's maybe not a high priority. I have one in mind that I've seen before when I had PMI - they consult in my area once a month but practice in Edinburgh which isn't too far so maybe he's my best bet. Will definitely be making a list!
Yes I was charged for consultation and £60for every ecg so make sure you know in advance what you will pay for.Our local Spire charges the consultant for use of any hospital equipment used which in my case was the hospital ecg.Must have been his own bp monitor though as no charge for that.
100%.my local hospital wait was 32 weeks and there was no way I could wait that long.I was put on a nhs ep list and got a call a month later and told he would put me on his ablation list after a long co versatile.I must add though I have never actually seen said Ep Proff Gill St Thomas's but apparently he's extremely well regarded.I had a flutter ablation last May.Had followup call after 6 months.zHolter monitor in Feb and another call in Sept.Still no face to face though.
I am currently under private care with a cardiologist based in London. I have paid £200 each for consultations and £715 for a stress echo. The costs may vary depending on what type of echocardiogram you want to have done.
As a side note, Spire Bushey proved to be one of the more expensive ones - £918 without contrast, and over £1k with contrast when it came to having an echo done so I wouldn’t recommend them unless you’re desperate. If you would like the name of the hospital and cardiologist I’m with, I can message you those details if needed.
hey, I saw a private cardiologist in Ross Hall it cost 500.pounds for a echo, but it gave me so much reassurance it was totally worth it, hope all goes well for you
My cousins husband saw a private cardiologist in Glasgow. Luckily the cardiologist also worked at his local hospital so the tests he needed done were done by NHS. He paid £175. But has to go back to private to get the results 🥴 crazy system!
I asked my gp to refer me for an echo privately which cost me £250 , then went to a private cardiologist myself ( twice ) that cost £ 200 each visit. It will vary depending where you live & where you choose to go
I didn't even think of asking my GP for referral - did that makes things easier or quicker do you think?Thanks for the info, you're right I think location plays a part.
For me yes ,the echo was done inside a week & the place I went the person doing the echo can report on it or a cardiologist can ,that too will affect the price
It is frustrating when essential appointments don't emerge; at your age more so. At my age, I'm ambivalent; echo 3 months overdue and no sign of an appointment yet.
Re private healthcare. Based on my experience using private care, I suggest you ask your nearest Nuffield hospital for an inclusive price of consultation with a cardiologist (choose your Nuffield and then the consultant from their list) and appropriate tests. Nuffield, especially, to me seem very good at providing all-in prices when asked - and they stick to them.
A rough idea: first consultation £250, follow-up £150. MRI cardio £1200, CT contrasted £1100, echo £900 and bloods around £150. Scotland may be cheaper. Costs can vary widely regionally. London will cost more.
I don't think you'll need another GP referral if you're already on a cardio clinic waiting list with the NHS, but do check this out with the consultant's secretary.
Be prepared for an all-in price that might not get you much change from £1500 with tests, but at least you'll have the reassurance of knowing what's happening.
PS. Do not accept a prescription for any drug on a privately prescribed basis. Ask for a 'recommendation' for medication from the consultant to be put into their letter that should be sent to your GP. Then the GP can prescribe the recommended drug via the NHS. The cost of a private prescription drug can be phenomenal and the NHS won't fill a private prescription. The cost of drugs privately could easily run into hundreds of pounds.
In my opinion? If you're really worried, private care isn't cheap but it can do the job of giving you some answers and some peace of mind from an expert at speed. Do bear in mind though that your case will have been triaged by the NHS. They will see you urgently if they think your situation merits an early appointment. That's the theory anyway!
Sorry your GP has had no luck with your appointment. Have you tried contacting PAL's at the hospital and asking them if they can sort it out? I did this in 2021 as my consultant was referring me on and I had heard nothing, and I got an email from the consultant with the info within 2 days!
A friend of mine was discharged from hospital last week and was told she was being referred for an echocardiogram but given no idea of a date. She was quite anxious so phoned up a cardiologist she had seen a few years ago and has got an appointment for a private echo on April 19th. Cost £300 with a further £300 follow up appointment with cardiologist.
Ask your doctor to use the rule that allows them to specify other alternative hospitals. Normally works much quicker but you end up with a bit of a journey.They never offer you this but it is an option
Oh gosh I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I think.its pure luck whete youblivecand gow good the communication is between the cardio nurse and the cardiologist!! You can look up your local private clinic and the prices should be displayed there. Probably a hundred to afew hundred pounds for a private consultation!! Then of course any follow on treatment!!
Hello Captain 😀Following an out of hospital cardiac arrest and having. Defib implanted and my normal meds all messed around with 6 months ago I had to result to seeking a private consultation. As no cardiologist contacted me when promised and got frustrated like you. I looked at the consultants on list at local private hospital and found one who specialised in my heart complaint and also worked for nhs. His fee I felt worth it. £220 for initial consultation which I understand is fairly standard. Then was told £195 for any further appointments. However, a very fruitful 1st appointment and he asked if paying via insurance. I said no self funding and he offered to swap me onto his nhs list. Have now seen him since and have a good rapport starting. Best £200 I’ve spent in a long time. Not sure about test costs but they have a menu 😂 with prices normally so you could request one I suppose for future ref. Hope this helps you
Regrettably I know how you feel. Appointments at my hospital are like gold dust. Was supposed to have had an Echo by now but when Cardiac Rehab looked I wasn't even on the waiting list. Sorry, can't offer any constructive advice.
my gp started me on frusimide to reduce fluid retention whilst I waited for my first echo. It took best part of 12 mths from reporting breathlessness to the surgery until I had a second echo that revealed the consultants treatment (entresto etc) had made a significant improvement.
If you can afford it go private and move forward with your life.
Hiya,I had to do the same twice over and both times things moved on speedily on…shame we have to resort to paying to see a private consultant …but sometimes it’s about taking action ourselves(totally get it’s not an option for everyone financially though)
I was lucky enough that a family member paid for me as they could see how much I was suffering…..Also Pals been really helpful❤️
Hi , i feel you pain... i have had myocarditis 3 years ago , after i develop AF , have had ablation a year ago. Now i see privately cardiologist , who done my ablation on NHS . Its give me piece of mind . He gave me MRI also , to see how is my heart after ablation. You should definitely see private one , its you heart , its important !!! You can wait longer and make it worst . In London initial consultation cost around £270. Follow ups £220 . Esg around 90 . Good luck , all the best
If it helps these are the prices I have been quoted for a cardiologist in London. Now I have a referral letter from my GP I need to decide what tests will help. I will also be looking at the local Nuffield cardiology department, Fees are:
hi one thing worth considering is looking at a private appointment with your consultant or at least one at the same hospital.
I was referred with a long wait to our local hospital and I identified the consultant that I would like to be under for nhs treatment and had a private appointment with him, he then happily added me to his nhs list for follow ups in future. He wanted me to have a cat angiogram and I opted to pay for that at a cost Of £1200 which was ouch but meant I could get my travel insurance back. I could have gone on the wait list for on the nhs though. The best way is once you have identified who you want to approach contact their private secretary and ask about it. It cost me £250 for initial consultation and £180 for follow up.
It is mad that we have to go to these measures but for me it was worth it for the peace of mind and feeling back in control
Not sure about the UK but the average cost in Ireland are 170-200 Euro for consultation with cardiologist- 260 Euro for Echo. This is what I pay and can claim 50% of it back on health insurance. Follow up is free after that. Like your NHS our equivalent HSE has long waiting lists for testing but is great if you need emergency treatment. Should be a bit less in sterling and its my preference to waiting for months. Hopefully at your young age you do not have HF and hope you get an answer soon. Best of luck whichever route you take.
Sorry I can't help with costs but I did look at the costs when waiting for an angiogram back in 2016. I am sure I found a price list when I was looking.
I am not well off but I own my own house and car and have a nice private pension but I have a fund to use if I need a new roof and boiler AND if I need to pay for a private consultation. I doubt I'd be able to afford treatment without selling my house but I think it is something in this day and age we ought to think about.
Hi I recently saw my cardio privately , still a bit of a wait of upto a month but still worth it, I had the options of telephone, video or face to face - so prices varied 100-250. I got in quickly with a video call as basically he did those at home. Luckily the cardio was the NHS cardio who did my angio ( I asked him then to be my consultant , as during my stay in hospital upto that point I hadn't seen any consultant at all - I also knew he did private work so I could go through either route NHS or private) if he recommends any meds he will get the gp to prescribe them know, so you get them through the NHS. Best money I have spent on a private consult, now have MVD a consequence he things but different pathology to my myo. Hope you get sorted, so frustrating when you feel you are over the myo.
I have heard many say that they pay privately for the initial consultation and then revert back to the NHS. This may be why there is a long waiting list for those who stay on NHS.
Reminds me of when on the motorway and there are signs to say that ahead 1 lane closed and some of us stay in the open lane so queue longer while others drive past us right up to the bollards and then push in ahead of those in the queue.
When I look at it like that it doesn't seem right!
Just to add I would pay if I felt it was the only way to get seen and I was concerned.
I had a telephone NHS apptmt and was told I was been discharged to my GP, with an open apptmt ie if things got worse to go back to him then , as the wait time for a NHS follow up apptmt is 15 months in my area my cardio told me! For me he had said that I couldn't fly until my MRI results were reviewed, again the hospital had the results from OMRC but it would be 4 months until the report would be written by the cardio. To late for me as I had to pay up in full for my holiday abroad before then, and my travel insurance couldn't be updated to include my heart issues as I hadn't got the full diagnosis, so no cover potentially... so catch 22 really , spend 150 rather than loose a lot more money to find out if I could fly . I really dont understand why things take so long to review and write a report on a MR or even X-rays ( they take 6-8 weeks to get the report back to the GP, that isnt just queue jumping.
I am not going to get into what is and what isn't queue jumping as that is likely to cause a lot of aggro.
As I said I would pay, that is just life, is it fair that those who can afford to pay get priority over those who can't probably, but that is a whole other issue.
When I was waiting to go to Australia early 2017 and I had seen the cardiologist in late 2016 who put me on a list for an angiogram I did start looking for the cost of a private angiogram before cancelling the holiday but saw that as well as the angiogram you have to be prepared to pay for any fall out including a stroke (which I had) or heart attack. I decided against it and cancelled the holiday.
As it was I ended up needing a bypass so it would have been a waste of money having a private angiogram.
Hi - I had an urgent referral to Cardiology and discovered that means possibly 3-4 months wait to get an appointment - I got in touch with a team and got a private appointment 3 days later - best decision for me as diagnosis confirmed (AFib for me) and now on a path to treatment - Consultant appt (£200), ECG (£40) instead of still waiting for initial appt - worth considering!! Hope all goes well for you 🙏
Hi in addition to the advise you have already had i would also recommend that if you decide to go the private route i would ask gp to do routine bloods including bnp and up to date ecg that you can take with you. My husband sees his cardiologist privately due to long wait times etc and we always time his routine monthly bloods he has on nhs so they are as recent as possible and take them with him to avoid the cost of paying for them privately. Cardiologist always appreciates the up to date bloods and if you have a home blood pressure machine take a series of readings and we monitor my husbands weight daily to help show fluid retention trends. The more infi you can generate yourself or via the gp helps keep private costs down. Husband has appt Tuesday for routine echo we agreed every 6 months at 400 pounds per time. In an ideal world we shouldn't have to pay again as we all pay for nhs but when its your health if you can find the money its worth the peace of mind. Good luck
Does your NHS consultant have a private practice? If yes and you think he's OK that would be my first port of call. He knows your case which is always helpful. Otherwise you are starting at the beginning with a new consultant who does not know your history. It can get a bit in a muddle as well if there are two consultants dealing with your case. I have an NHS consultant who I like and I see him privately for supplementary advice/information.
I saw a consutant privately last autumn for PAfib and the charges were:
£180 for the consultant's own fee
£165 for ElectroCG
£399 for EchoCG
£811 for 5 day ECG monitor (much more comfortable variety than previous ones which raised huge, raw welts on my skin)
I have to say that it was worth every penny to set my mind at rest. The consultant spent a good hour with me and at no point did I feel rushed or unable to ask questions. The appointment also began bang on time. The appointments system in my local NHS hospital appears to me to be chaotic with lengthy waits not just to be seen but also to even be offered an appointment at some time in the distant future. Sadly, my experience of falling down the gaps hasn't been just in cardiology but also in oncology.
It absolutely shouldn't be necessary that you have to make such a choice, but if your own experience of AFib is making your life miserable, you can afford the private fees and can find a consultant who also does NHS and will take you on his/her NHS list after the private consultation, then my choice would be to go for it.
Phone the specialists secretary and tell them you would take an appointment if someone cancels, that's what I did and got in earlier worth a try. I've looked at private can take a month or two to get an appointment with them 🤔
Just wanted to say thanks to all who took the time to offer advice and views, I really appreciate it!
I had a plan of action for this week, however I've tested positive for the virus that can not be named so I'll need to ride this out first... no rest for the wicked!
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