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NHS or Bupa
Mon, 24/05/2010 - 20:17
#1
Hi
Im 44 and have was diagosed 17th May with a Grade 2 Lobular Carcinoma which is 5-6cm wide, My Dr advised me that my cancer has been contained within the breast - which was a massive weight of my shoulders. I have to see my Dr tomorrow to find out my treatment but I am getting jittery that I should have gone Bupa route - Any advice ladies
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Hi satp,
Sorry about your diagnose. It's never too late to change. I started with NHS when diagnosed, but then switched to BUPA before treatment started. Just mention it to the medical team next time when you see them.
I was "lucky" because my oncologist is both with the NHS and Private, so I carried on with him. So, if you decide to switch to BUPA, you might end up with a different medical team.
Hope that help
xx
One reason to switch is that not all drugs are available on the NHS. Although if your treatment plan is quite straightforward, that may not be an issue for you. Also, you generally have more access to your surgeon and onc if you go privately. I'm not sure if my experience is typical, but I started off in the NHS and had a really long wait at each clinic - given how much time I've spent in hospitals in the last 8 months, not having to wait at each appointment is quite a bonus.
I got a better class of surgeon/oncologist on the NHS than I would have on Bupa. I'm lucky, however, in that I live in the shadow of a major teaching hospital and I always see the consultant/surgeon - In my experience teaching hospitals tend to have access to the latest drugs because they're more research-based. I also like the accountability of the NHS (have seen too many relatives had mishaps in the private medicine sector, although none of them have been connected to breast cancer).
When I was working out what treatment to have, a doctor friend pointed out that to reach the top of medicine of the UK, surgeons/doctors have to do 80 per cent of their work for the NHS and so he knew which system he'd rather be in if things went wrong. Ultimately, however, I think that my feelings about the medical team would sway me. If I trusted them, I wouldn't change. If I felt that things could be improved, I would. Not all NHS hospitals have the same facilties. Foundation/teaching hospitals apparently have the most money.
This is a horrible time for you,
I've recently swapped from private to NHS-and still see the same consultant, same nurses, etc! The few advantages to going private are
1)More pleasant surroundings
2)Occasionally drugs can be obtained privately (I had lapatanib), that haven't as yet been approved by NICE and so can't be had on the NHS.
As finty said, if your case is straightforward (which it sounds to be), there would be little advatage/benefit to going privately. The only other advantage I can think of is that the consultants will usually give you their mobile number and assure you that you can phone anytime-they don't do that with their NHS patients! Of course, I wouldn't dream of doing so, but it's a nice gesture. I'm sure you'll be treated well under the NHS-yes, there can be frustrations and delays, but this can happen too in the private sector. Moreover, depending on the size of your local private hospital you may find it of limited use. Our's is very small-so all I was having at the BUPA was consultations-all treatments and scans etc were done at the NHS-another reason for me deciding to swap. My notes were scattered over 2 locations, which really didn't help.
Hi - the only thing I have to add was that under private health care I was able to have chemo and all blood tests done at home which was fantastic. Not sure if that will be in your treatment plan, but it was a definite benefit for me.
Good luck to you!
I started my treatment under BUPA and found it exceptional, my treatment was at a private clinic and thought my rads was at UCHL i didn't have any waiting around. I swapped to AXA PPP ( not out of choice) and i must say they are not a patch on BUPA. I do find you have to do a lot of the leg work with the private system, ie making your own appiontments directly with consultants, and i have seen all my records and documents, somethimes not always a good thing when i read ' prognosis is poor' early on in my treatment. I had a lumpectomy and luckily had a follow up reduction on the good boob, not sure i would have got it all done so quickly on NHS.
r x
Hi
I'm having my treatment privately and I don't regret it for a minute. I'm near one of the top teaching hospitals and see the same consultant that I would have done had I gone there. At the hospital that I go to they do things exactly as they do at the NHS hospital but with less waiting around and possibly more privacy. I've got to know the nursing team well too which is a bonus and I know that if I need to I can ring my consultant at home. (I wouldn't unless I was really worried though!)
As someone else has already said, you could have easier access to some of the newer drugs that aren't yet readily available on the NHS.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do.
I'm having my treatment privately through BUPA as when I saw my GP with my lump I had a choice of a wait of up to 2 weeks for an appointment at the NHS breast clinic or an appointment at the local private hospital the same evening. As we all know how horrible the waiting period is there was no choice for me and I went private!
However both my surgeon and oncologist also work for the NHS at the regional cancer unit (Mount Vernon Cancer Centre) so I would potentially have had the same medical team if I was treated under the NHS.
The treatment I have had - chemo, Mx + ANC, and currently radiotherapy - is the same as I would have had on the NHS as the same protocols are followed. The main difference has been the comfort factor - private rooms etc, and convenience as I was able to choose which day of the week to have chemo and what time of day. I also have 24/7 direct phone number for the chemo nurses.
I do have experience of NHS cancer treatment as I accompanied a very close friend when she underwent treatment for lymphoma. Her treatment was excellent and I would have no concerns about having treatment under the NHS but have found private treatment to be more personal with far less time spent waiting in clinics etc.
If you like your doctor and would prefer to stay with him/her then why not see if they also work at a private hospital, if so and you would like to change then ask next time you see them.
For your info, the head chemo nurse at my hospital told me that of the private insurance companies BUPA are the best to work with as they will authorise treatment without requiring medical reports from consultants. I have certainly had no issues, all my treatment has been covered and has been authorised with just a quick phone call at each stage.
I started out on the NHS and agonised about whether to use my Bupa because I wanted to be sure I got the best treatment and was hearing different opinions from friends. But then I found out the same surgeon I had seen on the NHS was also practising out of my local Bupa hospital. I swapped immediately and there have been some real benefits:
I got my initial surgery over 2 weeks quicker than on NHS and then every subsequent stage has been quicker.
More pleasant surroundings - this is especially nice if you have a long hospital stay, so when I had my LD reconstruction I was in hospital for a week and I really appreciated having my own rooom and bathroom and being able to have visitors whenever I wanted. They also said I could swap back into NHS at any time if I wanted and in fact they did swap me back in for areola tattooing because the private hospital didn't have the machine.If you've got Bupa, I'd use it - especially if you can get your surgery quicker and get the cancer out quicker. xxx
Interesting question. Personally I would go for BUPA if I had it. I've had a few things done privately like scans during my treatment because of the NHS waiting times. What my consultant said was that you get good treatment whether NHS or privately but all the cogs work more smoothly privately.
The advantages to BUPA I think are: shorter waiting times (usually), easier access to the consultant, much better conditions for inpatient stays and outpatient, potentially access to different drugs. Quite often the same consultants work between the two, this was certainly the case for both my surgeon and oncologist.
After my double mx and axillary clearance on the NHS I had superb care for the first few days and then moved to an orthopaedic ward. It was stiflingly hot, noone helped me to get a bowl of water to wash with. You share a toilet with a whole bay of others etc. Drugs were often delayed which is not much fun if you're in a lot of pain.
Advantage of NHS: more likely to have a consultant on site although I expect they can access one quite quickly, Breast care nurse. Don't think you get a breast care nurse in BUPA? (someone who has been through this should know). If you are going to have a mastectomy who will help you with a prosthesis etc? That is something you could ask.
Incidentally I had a very similar diagnosis to you. I was 44 at time of diagnosis, 6 cm lobular grade 2 tumour, mine was in 9/17 lymph nodes though. I finished all my treatment in December and I'm doing well.
take care
Elinda x
Just want to confirm that I am with BUPA and I DO have a breast care nurse. This probably depends on the hospital rather than the insurance company though.
The private hospital I am being treated in is a "BUPA Breast Cancer Centre" and has been excellent, all scans, surgery and chemo have been done in the hospital. The only thing I have had to go elsewhere for is radiotherapy (the hospital is opening a private radiotherapy unit in July but that's too late for me!).
My breast care nurse was present at my initial diagnosis and at every appointment with the breast surgeon. She visited every day when I was in hospital having my mastectomy and fitted my tempory prosthesis before I was discharged. She saw me twice a week for 4 weeks after my Mx to check wound healing and drain my seroma. She is a lovely lady and I can phone at any time if I have a problem. When I finish rads in a couple of weeks she will arrange fitting of a silicone prosthesis - she doesn't do this herself as she says she doesn't see enough ladies to be really expert, instead she arranges a specialist fitter to come to the hospital to do it.
Sorry have waffled on a bit but in summary - you can still have a BCN and prosthesis fitting when using BUPA but check with the hospital if unsure!
Just wanted to confirm that I also had a breast care nurse with Bupa. Actually it was the same nurse who I'd started with on the NHS but she also visited me in hospital and said I could call her any time.
If you have BUPA insurance then use it.You will be given treatments not available on NHS eg Neulasta to keep up wbc.You are also more likely to get third generation[latest] chemos at once rather than if you get a recurrence.The private room can be a godsend post op and you will always see your consultant not his registrars.You dont have to wait for scan results but get them same day with appt with your surgeon.I had a fairly minimal policy from AXA but have never regretted using it.
Vx
I'm also with AXA/PPP, which I gather can be stingier than BUPA, but so far they have paid for everything. Had a quibble with them about Avastin, which is very expensive, but they agreed to pay in the end.
I have no regrets at all. I always get as long as I need with my consultants, and can phone them at any time. The hospital is really nice, and I am having rads in Harley Street, where you are really pampered.
I had treatment with NHS and had Neulasta injections I was given them to bring home and had to inject myself in my belly.There was a chemo nurse who kept telling me how expensive they were and how lucky I was to have them. I said I didn't choose to have cancer you know, and I should be given any treatment I needed and not be made to feel guilty about the cost.
Mel xx
I started off with the NHS as we have an excellent breast care centre locally. However after the initial diagnosis I switched to private. I had the same surgeon and oncologist - both excellent and two wonderful breast care nurses who I could speak to any time.
Chemo sessions were small - often only two of us. My local district nurses gave me the neurolasta injections
As the local NHS breast centre has better mammogram machines I went there just before my op (just had to cross the road) to have a wire inserted. As others have said having a private room and bathroom is lovely when you're recovering.
I also had to go to an NHS hospital further away for radiotherapy. The only difference was that I had access to my own oncologist rather than the duty doctor.
Elinda - My Mum was offered a breast care nurse with BUPA, although she really only saw her on the day she was diagnosed. At the time, I don't think we realised what the extent of her job was. I have seen mine (NHS) much more.
Thinking back, the BUPA advantages were the obvious ones, shorter waits at appointments, lovely accommodation, etc, but you often have to go to an NHS hospital for the equipment or surgery. She was given the drugs she needed, no expense spared, but then so have I with the NHS.
My only NHS gripe was the long wait I had for radiotherapy (11 weeks). I did enquire how much it would cost privately, although I don't have medical insurance. It would have been over £8,000 and my oncologist (who would have been the same one either way) thought it would not make any difference in my case. Hope she is right!
Apart from that, I have had brilliant NHS treatment.
Ann xx
I was diagnosed on April 28th and my surgery,WLE, on My 17th. all on the NHS. My BC nurse phoned me on Monday this week and I know if I need her I have only to pick up the phone. I have my follow up appointment etc. on June 2nd. I knoe w that I have to have Rad.therapy but obviously don't know anymore until then. Don't think things could have moved any quicker and everyone has been wonderful