Hi,

I have gone privately due to the wait time.  You need to get a doctors referral but I did mine through Babylon Health which they did the referral and they then sent the letter to my GP.

Hope this helps

Kernow

Hi,

I have gone privately due to the wait time.  You need to get a doctors referral but I did mine through Babylon Health which they did the referral and they then sent the letter to my GP.

Hope this helps

Kernow

Thanks Kernow.

Do you mean you saw a private Dr and then they referred you to the specialists that you needed on the NHS?

I'm a little worried that once I start with the whole private service, I won't be able to get out of it and it will cost me £1000's.

Do you have any opinion on whether it would be best to see a private Gynecologist or a private GP?  

X

Hi,

No,  before Christmas I had pain in my breast and my doctor said it would take 6 weeks to get a referral in our area unless there's a lump.  I was in so much pain on Boxing Day and couldn't get through to 111.  So I contacted Babylon Health who are NHS.  They did a referral and I have gone for a private consultation as I'm extremely worried and painkillers are not helping.   Bablyon send a copy of the referral to your GP.  

Kernow

Hi, 

I first saw my gp in March about my irregular period n spotting. The gp said it was because of perimenopause. I am 48 now. 

But as I felt something wasn't really right, I went to a private  ultrasound clinic to have a scan and it showed the uterus lining very thick. The staff who did the scan told me to inform my gp. When I told gp, she said it was normal but would refer me to see a specialist to see if I needed a coil. Then I waited...nothing happened. In August, I went to have another scan at the same private clinic. The scan showed the uterus lining was even thicker than before. So I again sent the scans to my gp, same reply but still no referral appointment was heard in a month. Then i went to see a private specialist at the private hospital in my city without a referral. I waited for 3 weeks for the free slot for seeing that doctor. On that day, he gave me a scan n immediately said I needed a biospy to see if it was a polyp or something else. Then the biospy came back in a week showing it was uterine cancer. He immediately referred me back to the NHS n on 28 Oct, I had hysterectomy n now I need radiotherapy as it is stage 2 endometrial cancer. 

So my comment is: do not wait for nhs or gp if your symptoms persist, it may take forever. The cost of seeing the private doctor in my case was about 1000 to 1500 pounds. Then once I was under the oncology path of the NHS, i.e. the hysterectomy n now radiotherapy, it is free of charge. 

Maybe the gp practice in your area is different. Hope my story can give you some reference. 

Best wishes, 

Chui