I've used Bluehorizons a lot over the years for both my family & myself.
I was looking to run a full Thyroid check, including fT3 & Reverse T3, and also the DIO2 Gene test. The total was around the £400 mark. I asked Bluehorizons if they could have a look at my order history & offer some discount. I would have ordered many tests in future. I received a flat NO. I was a little irked TBH.
Then I read this on here :
QUOTE
jimh111
I sent an FOI request to my local health authority who use The Doctors Laboratory. The cost of a TFT (TSH, fT3, fT4) is £2.74 whereas patients are charged around £50 for a finger prick test and £100 for a traditional test.
UNQUOTE
That really is a disgrace!
Of course they have to make a living & I don't begrudge anyone a healthy margin, but there is a limit... IMHO this company is taking advantage of sick people.
So I'm looking for a good alternative. Where can I get my FT3 & RT3 tested for a fair price?
Thanks
Written by
knackersyard
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No, I don't think it scandalous that private blood testing companies charge more than NHS for blood tests any more than I think it scandalous that private surgery costs more than NHS surgery.
If the NHS cost of TSH, FT4 and FT3 is really £2.94 I do think it scandalous that NHS will not do TSH, FT4 and FT3 testing for hypothyroid patients though.
Completely agree! I had my tests on Monday, I asked if it was just TSH or also FT4 and FT3. Nurse said NHS only tests for TSH as otherwise it is too expensive.
Thinking that on ThyroidThursdays Medichecks has the full test for around £29, and as a business obviously are making profits, bearing the cost of kit, postage back and forth, staff wages, website maintenance, etc., on top of the actual lab works, I thought, well, what does "expensive" mean if the NHS run their own labs?
If it is true that it is less than £3 then it is utterly shocking that it is not the default test. I'd even happily pay for it myself (even at 200-300% the cost as a charitable contribution, though I'd say my taxes should suffice!)
For a couple of quid saving each time, the NHS compromises their overall budget if we patients/taxpayers develop a condition to the point that our ability to earn an income and pay taxes is compromised.
I was trying to find out the cost since Aug or Sept. I've made FOI requests to my CCG who don't have the information and told me to contact the local hospital. I've FOI'd two local hospitals who referred me to NHS digital. They referred me to NHS England and I've now to FOI the Dept of Health. I really do NOT believe that none of the above are not aware of how much blood tests cost.
Blue Horizon is a bit more expensive than Medichecks but the cost of private tests is fairly standard.
They are providing a specialised service, they provide us with the equipment to do the test, they have premises to pay for, they have staff to pay, they are a business and have to make a profit or they won't exist. The NHS has in-house labs so isn't outsourcing tests to a service provider. It doesn't matter what we consumers buy or what service we pay for, we never get it at cost price.
It's not as simple as we sometimes think. There is often a set 'formula' for pricing goods and services so that the business provides a living for the owner. For example, my late husband and I used to own a restaurant. Take wine - you can buy something in the supermarket for maybe £5. An equivalent wine at the restaurant would be obtained cheaper from a wholesaler or wine merchant, let's say £3.50. The formula (at the time) was to double the cost price then add VAT so that would be £7 plus 20% VAT = £8.40 Out of that selling price, from the £4.90 profit the business owner has to pay VAT of £1.40 to the government so profit is down to £3.50 which has to go towards paying for premises (rent or mortgage), business rates, rubbish removal, specialised collection of used cooking oils, staff wages, maintenance of premises, replacement of equipment, etc.
Thanks Suzie, I’m well aware of the rules of commerce. I run my own business. I’m not short of money & rarely haggle. In fact, often pay over the odds if I think (for instance) a tradesman has undervalued his service.
However, it would appear that the NHS DOES outsource
QUOTE
jimh111
I sent an FOI request to my local health authority who use The Doctors Laboratory. The cost of a TFT (TSH, fT3, fT4) is £2.74 whereas patients are charged around £50 for a finger prick test and £100 for a traditional test.
UNQUOTE
If that’s true, then there’s no excuse.
If they charged double or treble what they charge the NHS, I wouldn’t object. I’m afraid that kind of differential is obscene. From what I read, many on here are unable to work due to their illness. It’s not right.
If you're ever after a discount on our services you are welcome to message me directly through HealthUnlocked - the answer may still be a no of course, but we generally issue pathology points for money off other tests as opposed to discounting. The Thyroid Genetics test is already heavily discounted this month I believe.
Well done jimh111 for getting a FOI reqest for how much the NHS pay for outsourcing their lab tests. I agree with Kitten44 and Clutter that there is no excuse for the NHS not paying for all three (TSH, FT3, FT4) as opposed to just TSH or just TSH and FT4.
Sadly, whereas the NHS might get a (Thyroid Check PLUS 3) for a mere £2.74, small private clinics such as ourselves have to pay a much much higher price. In addition, as SeasideSusie mentioned there are costs involved in putting the kits together and posting them. The difference between the total kit and testing costs, and what we charge on our website is technically "gross profit", but more realistically is contribution to overhead so that we can pay staff a fair wage and they are able to work in a safe comfortable environment.
I'm sorry that you were under the impression that we were taking advantage of sick people @knackersyard, we're all human here at Blue Horizon, apart from Poppy the Springer Spaniel, and your opinions and experiences greatly matter to us. Thank you for airing your grievances.
As I’ve already said, I believe everyone is entitled to a good living, but the huge difference between what the NHS are paying Private Labs & the price you are charging is hard to swallow.
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