Bupa

[sarahc]

I don't want to sound mean or heartless but need advice . My mum has a BUPA policy that costs £2800 a year and is up for renewal. She last used it to have a knee replacement done privately about 5 years ago before she was diagnosed with vascular dementia which is now quite severe. I am in two minds as to whether to renew it as I cannot see what she would use it for. The other knee seems OK - I just phoned the surgeon who did the first operation and asked hypothetically if they would do another one on someone with dementia. The secretary said no they wouldn't take her privately as she would need special care on the NHS. Is there any reason then why I should keep this policy ? The TIAs, falls etc she has had have all been dealt with perfectly OK by the NHS. Advice please ....
Sarah x

 

[alex]

Save your money

I had Private Health Care for my partner when he took ill 5 months ago and was on life support for 12 weeks, when he left Intensive Care he was put on a ward that was a nightmare, he had numerous medical problems and had suffered 2 strokes, he has been left with extensive brain damage and vascular dementia, when he was medically fit i enquired if he could be moved to a private hospital but was informed that there is no private hospital in the North East of England who have the facilities to meet his needs. I contacted our local Nuffeild Hospital as they advertised on their web site that they had a Neuro Physio Centre specially designed for stroke/brain injury patients, yet according to them they do not have full time physio's and they do not have occupational or speech therapists and their centre is only designed for people who can travel to and from the centre for day treatment.
5 months on he is still in a NHS Hospital. I always believed that Private Health Care was for emergencies such as this, yet he can't even get a private room never mind a private hospital! Private Health Care Companies should point out that if it is a real emergency they can not offer a service, that way i would have saved a fortune. My advise is save your money, if your mum takes ill she won't be able to get the specialist treatment she will need.

Good luck
Alex

 

[dillon]

Hi


only you can decide, but if it was me i would cancel it or at least find out what they would and would not treat her for frist.

Not only that you have to think if your mum had a knee done again, would she be able or up to the phsico (not sure how to spell that) I know my nan would not, thats why I am thankful she had her knee done before she got too forgetful.

Helen

 

[Brucie]

In my view only, perhaps, private health care is for non vital health issues where convenience is the main thing. Anything serious and they drop you like a ton of bricks.

We did use private insurance while Jan was in the process of diagnosis but as soon as we had the diagnosis, BUPA told us to go away. The process of diagnosis was a gravy train for consultants and they passed us on and on in a daisy chain on non-diagnosis.

My Mum had BUPA for many years and she was also a bit of a health nut - she always took a book on differential diagnosis when she went to the GP - but private care was the end of her as she just kept on using it for all sorts of things. She finally had some spinal work done - because she had the insurance - and that more or less incapacitated her.

Had she not had private insurance, she would never have had the things done.

I reckon it would be better to drop the insurance.

Purely my opinion!