Information for private patients

By choosing to have your treatment as a private patient within an NHS hospital, you are assured of access to comprehensive range of general and specialist medical services.

Our operating theatres are fully-equipped tocarry out a wide range of surgical procedures.

The additional income generated from private patients being treated at NUH is invested back in to hospital services for the benefit of our patients.

Contact us

Tel: 0115 970 9318

Email: TC.privatepatients@nuh.nhs.uk

What private patients can expect

If you have private health insurance, either personally or through your employer, and would like to talk to someone about the possibility of being treated as a private patient, please feel free to mention this to your GP or consultant. Please be aware, however, that not all of our consultants see patients privately.

  • As a private patient at NUH, you will be seen and treated personally by your consultant at all times
  •  You will have all the security and assurances expected of one of the country’s largest NHS teaching hospitals
  • By having private treatment in an NHS hospital you can rest assured that there is a full range of general and specialist medical services on site, 24-hours-a-day
  • There will always be a doctor who can see you in an emergency. There is back-up from a wide range of on-site expert care, including specialist nurses and therapists
  • Some specialties have equipment that is not available in local private hospitals 

We have no dedicated private facilities at NUH, you will stay on a normal NUH ward. We will endeavour to provide you with a single room, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Insurance and payment

Private health insurance

If you have private health insurance and wish to be treated privately at NUH, you should contact your insurer to check that your policy covers you. 

Some policies restrict cover, while others restrict access to certain hospitals/specialties, so you need to be fully informed before you make your decision. We recommend you do this before arranging any private consultation, diagnostic tests or treatment. 

For payment, the hospital and the consultant normally send separate invoices. If you have surgery there will also be an invoice from your consultant anaesthetist.

In many cases the hospital is able to send your invoice direct to your insurance company. If you receive an invoice from the Trust for your hospital fees and/or invoices from your consultant(s), you should forward these to your insurance company as soon as possible.

If you do not provide us with full details of your insurance policy and relevant authorisation number, we will invoice you for direct settlement and expect payment within 30 days.

 

Self-funding patients

If you do not have private health insurance but are considering paying for your treatment yourself, please discuss this with your consultant who will be able to advise you on costs.  For some procedures we may be able to offer a fixed price package which compares favourably with prices charged by local private hospitals.

If you are a self-funding private patient we require payment of hospital fees in advance. Failure to pay in advance may result in your consultation, test or admission being cancelled. We will usually provide you with an estimate of the cost of your treatment. 

We accept all major credit and debit cards, except American Express. Payment by cheque or banker’s draft must be received seven days before your admission to allow for bank clearance.