I would appreciate advice on making a private appointment

[Aoki]

Like many on here I have decided to go private. My problem is I don't know which practitioner to ask for. In particular I want a thorough review of all my medications which have just agglomerated since I was laid low with sepsis in 2018 and emerged with heart and kidney failure on top of high blood pressure, gout, underactive thyroid -- I could go on. Severe anaemia the latest. Some of these I suspect are due to the mish mash of drugs one and the other doc have put me on. None of them seem to communicate with each other or have much of a clue about what the others are doing, Least of all my new GP to whom i was tranferred after the previous one took early retirement a year or so back.

Appreciate any thoughts on this . We have a local Nuffield near here.

[Tos92]

Due to having several different conditions, you would need to see a specialist/practitioner in each area.

For example, for the heart failure you would see a cardiologist and for the kidney/renal failure you would benefit from seeing a nephrologist, a rheumatologist for your gout and so on.

However, this can prove to be very expensive unless you have insurance that will cover these private appointments.

[Captain_Birdseye]

I think the likes of bupa and Nuffield offer health checks and can use this as a basis for narrowing down to next steps - like an MOT I guess.

Best bet is to call around and tell them what you're looking for and they'll be able to advise what services they provide. As Tos said, it could end up expensive with no insurance so might be good to choose an area to focus on.

[Rainfern]

Hi Aoki, I had my first private appointment with an EP cardiologist yesterday. My reason for choosing this consultant is because he is essentially an NHS cardio who also offers private consultations (and treatment) at Nuffield once or twice a week. A private consultation is long enough to discuss your other conditions and even if you end up back on NHS waiting lists for treatment the consultant can advise on the way forward and hopefully consult with relevant departments. I found the opportunity to discuss all the ins and outs of my condition a huge relief.Quite rightly you should expect a coordinated approach to treatment and it seems GP practices can no longer offer this. Explain to your consultant that this is quite a nightmare - they should at least help come up with a plan.

Wishing you very best of luck. Keep positive and hope you soon get all the help you need. Let us know how it goes!

[Mal77]

Hi Aoki,

You describe a very complex picture with multiple medications and potential interactions. I would suggest speaking to your local pharmacist. This is their specialty. If they see dangerous potential drug interactions you could then speak to the relevant specialist who initially prescribed to identify safer alternatives.

Best of luck. Hope this helps.

[Oldspider]

I have had good advice/treatment from a cardio expert at Nuffield Ipswich with a bypass at Papworth. Operations were arranged for Saturdays so as not to encroach on nhs slots. He has referred me to a lung specialist as I now probably have IPF. As another poster said it’s important to have the time to discuss everything. If you need info on costs feel free to pm me. Good luck.

[HeartofLondon]

Why not look up specialists at the Cromwell or Wellington hospital? Thats where a lot of NHS heart specialists hang out.

[JeremiahObadiah]

An earlier reply suggested asking your pharmacist-this is exactly what came first to my mind.

If you took a list of 1) your medications, 2) your ailments/conditions for which you are being treated and 3) any side effects you feel have arisen, a good pharmacist should be able to check to see for interactions and might make recommendations which you could then discuss with your GP.

It might be worth phoning ahead to ask if the pharmacist can do this and when would be appropriate .