Queries or problems relating to NHS Secondary Care
If you have not heard back about the result of an investigation, e.g. a scan or blood test result, which was requested by your secondary care consultant, or the outcome of your visit to them, please contact the hospital first rather than coming back to the Practice. We do not get the results before you do and are not able to access them directly.
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Main switchboard: 0118 322 5111
Oxford University Hospital, Main switchboard: 0300 304 7777 https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/contact/
Private referrals
Private health services are a growing resource used by many of our NHS patients.Â
There are several valuable positive features to private care but please bear in mind that the interface with NHS services is complex.
In your decision to use a private provider please consider these aspects of your care:Â
We remain your NHS GP while you have private care elsewhere, we are only able to provide NHS careÂ
Private healthcare is usually quicker than NHS care, but it is not a way to get access to NHS care more quickly
We cannot prioritise any aspect of healthcare (e.g. letters, investigations, prescriptions) because these have been suggested or requested by a private providerÂ
If your private provider suggests that your GP arranges investigations on their behalf, we will NOT normally be able to do this, unless it is something we have NHS resources & responsibility to do normally. Specialists normally arrange their own investigations. If you are self-funding this means paying for your own investigations, this can be very expensiveÂ
If your private provider suggests that your GP prescribes treatment on their advice, we will only be able to do this if the treatment is appropriate for GPs to prescribe and the GP is personally prepared to take on legal responsibility for prescribing and monitoring. Many drugs recommended by specialists are not suitable for GPs to prescribe, as they are not within the scope of our normal practice. If you are self-funding this means you may have to pay for your prescribed items.
If the treatment is suitable for us to prescribe please allow 1 week to process the request, if it is needed more urgently than 1 week please use the private prescription at a pharmacy.
Some drugs are prescribed under ‘shared care agreements’ with NHS consultants & GPs. These are not suitable for GPs to prescribe on the suggestion of a private providerÂ
Private consultants who also have NHS consultant posts can refer directly to themselves to take over NHS care without the GP needing to approve or write a new referral letterÂ
If you ask us to investigate or prescribe on the advice of your private provider please understand that considering your request will take time (a week would be usual) and that the answer may be that we cannot helpÂ
Overall the impact of private healthcare can be positive but we ask for your understanding that our NHS resources are at risk from providers who seek to use the NHS to subsidise their private practiceÂ