For those who are tired of waiting and want to go private.

[Unia]

So i think it was just over a year ago i discovered benenden health. Its available in the uk and costs about £11.50 a month but i paid upfront for the year £138. Its been a life saver you have to wait about 6 months before you can start using it but its really not to bad seen as it takes people years to get diagnosed. I went in for my consultation on the 6th of jan and by the end of feb i had my laparoscopy done. Everything was done so quickly and after years of trying to get help through the nhs im so glad i went private in the span of 2 months i was diagnosed and had my surgery done.

I hope this helps please do check them out!

[Afrohair]

How did you get it though did you declare an underlying health condition in the U.K. if you have an underlying condition which is under investigation health insurance companies wait to find out the outcome before accepting you .you were lucky to get accepted and treatment x

[Unia in reply to Afrohair]

Its very simple tbh i went to my gp and told them i need to see a gynecologist and i want to go through private healthcare. My doctor then wrote me a later to refer me to the nhs gynecologists and i sent that letter to benenden health. As soon as they got that they booked me an appointment. If you go on to their website you can register with them and they will tell you how to book appointments.

[Afrohair in reply to Unia]

Thankyou I will look into it

[surfers]

I agree, I didn’t have medical cover but I paid for my own consultation privately after doing some research and less than 6 months from initial consultation through to surgery. The surgery was performed on the NHS as there is a risk of needing a multi disciplined team. The investigation laparoscopy can be paid privately and expedited or you can revert back to the NHS (this is what I did and the end to end was still 6 months)

[SarahLouise12]

Hi that sounds really good, but would they cover any Pre existing conditions? Like I already have a diagnosis thanks Sarah

[Unia in reply to SarahLouise12]

Yes im pretty sure they do the only thing is i had my sirgery done and they removed most of it but he said if u have stage 4 or more then you have to see a specialist. Unfortunately i did have stage 4 he got rid of most of it for me and then wrote my doctor a letter asking them to refer me to the nhs specialist so it has definitely speeded up the process x

[Rel1ef]

Thanks Unia. I wonder if they would be risking laparoscopies during lock down. I will have to check them out.

[Unia in reply to Rel1ef]

Well they are a private hospital and lockdown should be over soon so i would give them a call to find out x

[Amywoodx]

hi just a quick question was your surgery ablation or excision? and do u have relief from symptoms now?

[Unia in reply to Amywoodx]

Excision surgery and yes i have had some relief but will need a second surgery as i have some endo left on my womb. I have found that my periods arent as long aswell i have 2 days of heavy bleeding then it slows down quite abit x

[Amywoodx in reply to Unia]

Oh that’s good at least you have some relief! I hope they’re able to excise the endo from your womb properly for full relief!

[Unia in reply to Amywoodx]

I hope soo thank you x

[annatonina]

I used to work for Benenden in their member services call centre. It's a really great service but it's not health insurance - in some ways it's better in my opinion but you have to be aware of the differences before you sign up. The most common complaint we had was people thinking they'd somehow got a full health insurance plan for £10 a month! It was a few years ago that I worked for them so things might have changed but you had to be a member for 6 months before you can claim any benefits, and i think there's a limit on how many times you can start a new claim for the same condition within a certain time period (but if they help you with a consultation and the doctor refers you for tests or surgery that wouldn't count as a new claim). It's a discretionary service, which means that the advisor you speak to when you first call decides based on what you tell them whether they help you or not. It's based on how long you have to wait on the NHS (so your GP needs to have referred you first) and how much of an impact it's having on your life, so for example someone who had a year to wait for an appointment but wasn't really in that much pain might not get help, but someone who has to wait 2 months and is in pain all the time might.

I would recommend it, it's a really good service, but you need to be 100% aware of what you're signing up for to avoid any disappointment if you try to get help with something that isn't covered. Happy to give more info if anyone's interested.

[Afrohair in reply to annatonina]

So will they refer you to the specialist you choose ?for example my g.p has referred me to a specialist based on my symptoms it was one I had a consultation with privately but I can’t afford the surgery and could be waiting a year or more to get the surgery would this benefit me

[annatonina in reply to Afrohair]

They have a list of their own specialists, when I worked there they piggybacked on the Bupa system. Most consultants are on both and it was rare that someone gave me a name I couldn't find. Surgery works differently though, they have a smaller network of hospitals that they can send you for surgery so a smaller network of consultants. Their approved hospitals for surgery might be listed on their website?

[Afrohair in reply to annatonina]

What if I feel I need an mri but my current gyn won’t give me one

[annatonina in reply to Afrohair]

Your GP can refer you directly for an MRI which Benenden could then help you with but they may not be comfortable interpreting the results. You also have the right to ask your GP to refer you for a second opinion with a different gynae. Unfortunately for Benenden to help you do need to have an NHS referral and a long wait for an appointment to start the process.

[Afrohair in reply to annatonina]

Ok I’ve been trying to have a look there only seems to be one hospital close to me

[vizzle_01]

Hello Unia, if I haven't had any kind of diagnosis, only been to my doctor with suspected endometriosis and been prescribed Mefenamic acid, would Benenden Health cover me? I really don't have a clue when it comes to health insurance! And does anyone have experience of the Benenden Kettering hospital with endo scans etc? Thanks