The surgery will be able to Provide you with private referral letter if looking to seek treatment through the Private Sector.
If the consultant you are under feels you need any tests or procedures arranged they are responsible for arranging these. Follow up with results should also be carried out and explained by your consultant, you should not be contacting your GP to find results of tests/procedures carried out by them.
Please note that any tests required should be carried out privately; and are likely to incur a cost. GP Practices cannot carry out out blood tests or procedures requested by private sector using NHS resources.
New Medication
If the consultant suggests prescribing new medication or making any changes then they are responsible for giving you a prescription for any new medication (this will likely incur a cost for the medication).
The Surgery may consider prescribing, as long as:
- The medication being requested is already on the NI Formulary
- The Consultant has provided the surgery with sufficient information about your medical condition to support the prescribing of the medication.
- The medication being requested is licensed for the condition being managed
- The surgery has a means of communicating with the Consultant who has made the recommendation
- The medication does not require consultant oversight (and you are not under NHS care). These drugs are commonly known as “Amber list “or “Shared Care” drugs. We cannot prescribe drugs that are classed as “Red List” (Hospital only) drugs.
- The medication being requested does not require regular blood monitoring
Private Healthcare Provision and Prescribing Responsibility for Medicines (PDF, 402KB)
Follow up
If after seeing the Consultant privately you want to be back under NHS care, this transfer must be done by the Private Consultant who is overseeing your care and you should not be passed back to the GP for this to be done. This avoids delays in care and ensures accurate information is passed on to most relevant person and avoids any unnecessary appointments with your GP or other NHS providers. Your consultant should organise your referral letter to arrange for you to be seen at the most appropriate NHS clinic.
The Department of Health In Northern Ireland have advised that patients requiring post-operative care, wound checks, dressings or stitch removals following treatment in the private sector should ensure all pre and post treatment costs are factored into the overall package of care.
The surgery may not be able to provide this care to patients who source treatment in the private sector (this does not include patients who are transferred under an NHS waiting list initiative).
Read the Department of Health’s policy in relation to pre and post treatment care for patients who wish to avail of private health care within the UK (PDF, 791KB)