I have read on here people saying that they have had a private consultation for around £200. I have asked Moorfields private and they are quoting me £250 to £350 for the consultation plus they insist on doing scans, field of vision etc making it circa £800 minimum just for one appointment. There's no chance I can afford this so am wondering if anyone had any advice because tbh I've lost hope with the NHS, chasing appointments and constantly seeing junior doctors. I have both Glaucoma and Uveitis and they can't find any solution to control it.
Many thanks for any advice, David.
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frankthebank
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More and more people are posting about private consultations as the NHS is struggling so badly at the moment. I too decided to book a one-off private consultation after my Moorefield's appointment was cancelled due to a COVID outbreak.
Hi Toby, thanks for your reply, what did you think of your private consultation and did you have to pay for all the extra tests etc? I'm based in Bedfordshire.
As you describe I received an email just before the appointment adding more tests/costs which was somewhat off-putting but the main difference I found was the thoroughness of the tests, and the one-to-one time with the consultant, which I cannot fault.
While the treatment I receive from Moorefield's has been excellent (once I was allocated a surgeon who I then saw for every appointment) my stress levels while in the waiting room are through the roof. There are so many people, so much noise, and its such a long wait to be seen my partner started having panic attacks, and now has to leave the hospital during every appointment.
At the private consultation I was given as much time as I needed. I prepared a list of questions in advance, as nothing is really explained given the time allocated to you by the NHS, and all options were explored. I was given the choice of continuing treatment privately (which sadly I couldn't afford) or returning to the NHS, where I eventually had my MIGS surgery.
So while it was very expensive (I assume they have to redo all the tests as they don't have access to NHS records, and you are in effect asking for a second opinion) I found the peace of mind from having such an in-depth consultation invaluable.
Take care and wishing you good luck with whatever you decide to do🙂
Hello, I live in Leeds and my consultation was £200. I had tests carried out with the consultant and given a prescription. This was with Spire Healthcare . He has referred me into his colleagues at local NHS hospital .
hi there. My private consultant also works for our local NHS hospital, where I had been treated. When I booked my appointment with him I gave him permission to review all my NHS records, that saved me from needing all the additional tests. It was like night and day, instead of being in and out in 10-15 minutes I had a full hour. Instead of being just another eye to get in and out of the room I was a person, who had questions, worries and concerns. I’m not knocking the NHS, they have saved my sight twice but the funding crisis and backlog means the doctors really don’t have time to focus on you as a person. Maybe you could investigate who the consultants are at your local NHS hospital and see if they also do private practice? Do your research on them first to be sure they have the experience to make you comfortable then contact their private practice directly. If I remember correctly my initial appointment was £200 and each follow up has been £120. Good luck
Hi Frank, I’m like many others who had, until recently, relied on the NHS. But Covid put paid to that with “routine” check-ups being cancelled so often that my annual check for glaucoma that was under control was more than two years, by which time it’s now classed as uncontrolled.
I’m lucky that I have private healthcare at work so have leant on it; I learned far more in that one session than I did in the previous 6 years. And I’m waiting on the results of an MRI now. Sadly for our once great NHS, they only have time to treat symptoms not necessarily to get at the cause.
I know it’s a lot to spend but for peace of mind (and perhaps a faster route back into the NHS) I would recommend it
Hi there, I had my private appointment at the Bournemouth Nuffield hospital and the fee was £250 for about half an hour. The consultant carried out a visual field test himself and said the results were better than he expected, based on the report he had from my NHS hospital. Luckily for me, he referred me to his NHS clinic for ongoing treatment. Is it possible you could go a bit further afield? There is s Spire hospital in Cambridge, for instance. Best of luck.
Hi David, we contacted a Private eye specialist after my wife was diagnosed with Glaucoma by an NHS hospital and to be honest the way this was done and the lack of advice and help was terrible, so we felt we needed a second opinion. We were introduced to the Private Consultant by a family friend. He is based a the Nuffield in Guildford and the cost was £250 and included scans, tests etc. He then carried out the consultation and explained in detail my wife's condition and how he saw the future and next steps. She has just had laser surgery cost £350 and now awaiting her next consultation this will be £100 and hopefully some better news. In all shop around , this seems extremely expensive, but in all have a second opinion and we wish you luck!
I am a regular at Moorfields and it is expensive. It is a lot more expensive than private options outside London - they were about a third less expensive when I last checked. One thing you can do to reduce the cost is to ask NHS to email all your visual field test results to you and then send them to your private consultant. If the tests are quite recent the private consultant should be able to use those rather than re -testing.
Moorfields private care is so much more thorough (even the VFT is done more carefully and I think it is more accurate), and I feel more in control, but it costs so much. Before I went private my VFTs were showing a steady decline and my Glaucoma went from mild to moderate. NHS staff didn't seem concerned, but i was very worried and so I went private. I was immediately put in the 'urgent' category for surgery, since which my Glaucoma has stabilised with no further deterioration. I feel aggrieved that the NHS doesn't provide adequate Glaucoma treatment - they don't seem to prioritise keeping us from losing vision, and I am certain that if I hadn't gone private I would have lost more vision by now. I don't know how I will keep affording it though 😒
Hi Lorraine, Thanks for your reply it's very much appreciated. I will look into this and you are absolutely right what you are saying about the NHS every time I go on a little bit worse and they don't seem concerned ( which lets be honest they don't have the time to be ) then we end up stressed out and worried. I have a consultation at Moorfields private Wednesday so will take it from there. All the best to you with your eyes and I hope you find a way to keep receiving goodecar care.
my consultant charges £100 for a consultation. Scans & field tests are important because that’s how they check how/if your glaucoma is progressing. £800 Seems a lot though. The most I’ve paid is £400 & that’s with a scan & visual fields. He always does visual fields so I usually end up paying about £200. I only go every 9 months now because my eyes have stabilised since my trab. I go to Spire. Have a shop around - Spire & Nuffield do plans I think.
My optician suspected glaucoma in March 2021 and advised going private if I could because of the very long NHS delays. I see a consultant (who also works in the NHS) at a Spire Hospital and. as others have said, get lots of time, tests and attention at each visit. I pay between £330 and £350 when a visual field test is done - £100 less if not.
Thanks everyone for your replies, you are all amazing and it's great to have so many people who take the time and effort to offer advice. I really learned a lot here, so will now start doing some research. Best wishes to you all
so sad that some people are forced to go private .
Very sad times indeed for NHS , and for us as patients not getting the treatment we need .
It’s only going to get worse and some people probably will get in debt as have no choice but to pay out for private treatment 😢.
I’m in Bedfordshire too , ( I attended NHS Moorfields at Bedford hospital last year ) but not used private so can’t help you .
But get recommendations of good eye consultants others have used and maybe go out of the area if needed , like our surrounding counties to help with costs .
Hi, thanks for your reply, it's very much appreciated. I couldn't agree with you more it's a very sad situation on the NHS now and we are definitely not getting the care we all deserve. I have an appointment with Moorfields private now in London and thanks to the lovely advice on here am looking to keep costs down by accessing my records. So will hope for the best. I wish you all the best. Take
Agree that the way forward is to keep a record yourself of all your VFs, scans etc that you get on the NHS, then take these to a private consultation where you have time to ask questions and get answers that will make you less anxious. I'd love to go privately all the time but because I need regular eye drops these cost a small fortune to buy instead of getting them free on the NHS. And when I had a trabeculectomy, it would have cost £5000 for the same surgeon, same hospital who did it for free on the NHS. Somehow I try to juggle between private and NHS so it helps if you have an NHS consultant who will see you privately when, like me, you feel you need a whole unhurried session to yourself!
Hi PBX thanks for your reply it's very much appreciated. I think I'll be going down to the same route as yourself, I too have no way of affording all private, I think the main priority is the consultation advice, not being rushed and not seeing a junior doctor. Kind
the other thing to add is that the NHS have to provide all your records to you, tests and all, to you on request. The have 28 days to do this and I requested it all ahead of my first private consultation. To be fair I got it all (all 120 pages) by email in time for my appt.
Mine was at Farnham Eyecare, cost £350 with visual field test, the MRI was an additional cost at around £800.
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