Private treatment v NHS treatment

Ben Simons, Senior Associate Injury & Medical Claims | October 7, 2024

The NHS is a wonderful institution, but one which, as is well documented, is underfunded,
understaffed and at breaking point. It means unfortunately accessing treatment in a timely
way does not happen.. This is of particular concern if someone has been involved in a serious
accident and suffered life–changing injuries. In those cases, swift access to rehabilitation,
surgery and other treatment is vital to ensure that the seriously injured person makes the best
and most expeditious recovery possible.

It is for this reason that, at Anthony Gold, we place a huge amount of emphasis on getting
rehabilitation up and running for our clients as soon as we possibly can. We realise not only
the importance of doing so for our client’s physical and psychological recovery, as the two are
so closely intertwined;. Sadly, there is a limit to the statutory services offering and therefore
where appropriate we arrange private rehabilitation for our clients as soon as we can.
Prosthetics

One area in which I have found it is particularly important to secure funding for private
treatment is in cases involving prosthetics. I have dealt with cases in which clients have
suffered amputation injuries and over the course of their NHS treatment, have been provided
with prosthetic devices on the NHS. Those devices have usually been bulky, uncomfortable
and far from ideal, with clients often struggling to come to terms with them. Itis only when I
have been able to secure funding for referral to a private prosthetist that we have been able to
have the client fitted for a much more appropriate, comfortable and more advanced prosthetic
device. The difference that this makes to their quality of life cannot be understated.

Surgery

Another aspect of rehabilitation in which access to the private healthcare sector is so vital is
surgery. We will often receive medical expert reports recommending surgery to expedite our
client’s recovery, but waiting times on the NHS are prohibitive, even more so since Covid,
which further extended already extensive NHS waiting times. If we can obtain approval from
third party insurers for funding for the surgery to be conducted privately, it not only ensures
that our clients can undergo the surgery considerably quicker than they would ever be able to
get it on the NHS, but it also enables us to actively progress their claims rather than putting
them on hold pending a date for an NHS procedure.

Psychotherapy

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of rehabilitation is psychological support. We find
for the most part, client with very serious injuries, will have also have suffered a psychiatric
trauma, whether that be trauma from the accident itself (such as with a high–speed car crash
for example) or struggling to cope with the effect that the accident and their injuries have on
their lives. Getting psychological support as early on in the claim process is vital, as the earlier
this can be implemented, the better chance our clients have of making a better recovery.
However, waiting times for psychological support is particularly lengthy on the NHS, if
available at all. Often by the time an individual is seen, the psychological injury has become
entrenched. However it is easier to access the right support through the private sector and we
use our client’s claims to obtain funding for private treatment.
Acting quickly

Access to private healthcare benefits both our clients and the NHS. By getting our clients into

the private healthcare sector, we are able to expedite their treatment, provide them with a
better long–term outcome and resolve their claims sooner, whilst simultaneously relieving the
huge burden on the NHS. If you have suffered serious, potentially life–changing injuries and
would like some advice on making a claim, please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of
our very experienced lawyers who will be very happy to advise and assist you.

Please note

The information on the Anthony Gold website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. It is provided without any representations or warranties, expressed or implied.