Medical Insurance. NHS Consultants Go Private!
The NHS is one of Britain's proudest and most valued institutions. It provides healthcare, free at the point of delivery, to all residents of the UK for life. However, its founding principles are increasingly threatened by a wave of privatisation that has swept through England over recent years. Many people who could previously have access to medical care no longer do so as private companies cherry-pick patients with more money than they can hope for in their National Health Service (NHS) chip-cards.
In this article, we'll take a look at how medical consultants benefit from going private in terms not only financial but emotional too.
The case of the NHS consultant
Typically, a doctor will begin his or her training with a five-to-six year foundation programme. Then, after having completed this stage, they will be eligible to apply to become an undergraduate medical student. Many of the students who are accepted onto the undergraduate programme do so with a view to specialising in a particular field.
With this in mind, most doctors will undertake between five and six years of higher education and training on top of their third-level education. The years spent on the chair side are typically broken up into two parts: general training and specialised training. This means that most doctors spend a good few years learning about how to treat disorders and illnesses, before moving on to study in their chosen speciality.
Strict training requirements mean that most consultants will have completed training in their specialist field by the time they qualify from university. This is why there are far fewer consultants in general practice than there are surgeons, who predominately specialise in open-heart procedures or breast cancer surgery.
Typically, doctors will join a health board (a body that oversees the overall provision of healthcare) where they will undertake further training or be employed as a consultant for several years before they look to find their own practice.
With this in mind, it can be said that NHS medical consultants are highly trained and have spent several years of their lives training to become the expert practitioners that they are.
Under the NHS, medical consultants are well regarded and are valued by patients as they treat them for free. Because doctors work within the NHS, which is a state-funded system, their pay and conditions are enshrined in law.
In recent years, however, there has been a significant increase in the number of private hospitals in England. Private hospitals will often offer a wider range of healthcare options than those available to patients under the NHS system including more diagnostic tests and specialist surgeons.
Despite this, however, consultants in England typically earn far more from private work than they do from their NHS duties. Less experienced doctors are of course paid more in the NHS than they are when working privately (this is partly due to the fact that NHS procedures are more straightforward and take less time). However, over the course of a career, a doctor's salary will generally be much higher if he or she chooses to specialise in private medicine rather than focusing on NHS patients.
Consultants in England – especially those who have completed an MRCS or FRCS (Membership of Royal College of Surgeons or Fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons) qualification – can charge thousands for surgical procedures performed privately.
In fact, according to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2007, three of the top five earners were surgeons. These surgeons had made their fortunes from private operations and other surgeries not covered by the NHS.
These lists are published annually and rank the wealthiest British residents by industry. It's clear that a lot of medical consultants have chosen private procedures over the NHS, as they can earn a great deal more when operating on patients who are prepared to pay for their expertise.
The case for private medicine in Great Britain is that it provides more accessible treatments and courses of procedure that are not available under the NHS model. This is due to the fact that private hospitals are not bound by legal requirements such as minimum waiting time targets and definitions of what is and isn't a necessity.
It's also worth noting that private hospitals in the UK are funded by the state, which means they don't need to compete with each other to attract patients. This means they can offer much more expensive treatments than their rivals.
However, this has lead to an increase in private health care for those who could previously have received treatment at a local NHS hospital. The NHS has repeatedly tried to defend itself against this erosion of its position in England, with many pledges being made by successive governments over the years.
But, as always, these promises are often not made to be kept. The private sector has always been a huge part of the British health service, and it is likely that the recent privatisation push will continue under the next government.
Do you think private medicine can provide better for patients? Do you think it is fair for consultants to be able to charge thousands for their services? Please leave your comments below.
If you enjoyed this article and want to know how other people's healthcare experiences differ from yours, check out our new FREE guide: How does my health insurance work? This handy guide will help you get an understanding of our NHS. You can also download our official free GREAT GUIDE app on iOS or Android.
Alternatively, if you would like to know more about the NHS in England, please take a look at our free great information handbook: How does the NHS work? This informative download will help you understand the differences between your healthcare options.
If you liked this article and want to discover how your private medical insurance works, then check out our NEW FREE guide: What is my private medical insurance? This handy guide will help you understand your options when it comes to choosing a policy. You can also download our official FREE GREAT GUIDE app on iOS or Android.
Find out more about NHS Consultants and Private Doctors in England or browse other articles about Medical Careers in Great Britain...
And, if you are considering a medical career in England, take a look at how to become a Doctor in the UK or browse our full selection of training courses and advice articles...
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Conclusion: Consultants in England
Consultants in England can be very well rewarded for the services they provide to a select number of patients. Whilst working within the NHS, consultants are also able to charge a great deal for their private treatments.
This increase in the price of medical services has meant that many patients who previously sought treatment from an NHS hospital have now turned to private sector practices for their healthcare needs. This seems set to continue as NHS trusts in England continue to struggle financially and fail to reach their targets.