What we do

We are a coalition of independent specialists who want to give advice regarding private healthcare options to the general public.

We reconsider, write and comment on news and academic research related to private health in the UK, and we also review some new private healthcare services provided in the UK. We are mostly interested in writing about new developments in the whole UK area. We hope oxfordprivatehealth will help you decide the best healthcare option for you and your family.

When you would consider going private

In the UK, we have the National Health Service (NHS), a body that allows all UK residents to have free or highly subsidised treatment and medical care. It is a great service and it serves the majority of the population. However, sometimes, an individual might consider going private for the following reasons:

  • Time constraints: usually the NHS has long waiting lists for patients. Hence, if you are in a hurry because you need to travel somewhere or if you just seek immediate medical advice because you are worried, you might want to consider going private.
  • Flexibility: if you work full-time, you may find it hard to get out of the office for a medical reason. If you have loads of work and you just cannot leave in the middle of the day, you may consider going private. Many private services give more flexibility to people with regards to time and you may find that they have early or late appointments that might better suit your needs.
  • You want more: sometimes the treatments that the NHS offers for free are basic treatments. If you feel like you need more than what the NHS offers, you may want to consider private medical services. An example of this is a pregnant woman wanting an ultrasound. Through the NHS system, you can only have a set amount of free ultrasounds. If you want to have additional ultrasounds, you might want to seek the services advertised by private clinics. Another example could be a patient wanting to see a doctor and speak to a doctor for a longer amount of time. Through the NHS, you may book slots of 10 minutes usually. If you are lucky, you can book a double appointment (i.e. two slots of 10 minutes each). However, if you want to speak for a longer amount of time, you could consider talking to a doctor at a private clinic.

Emphasising the options

We are not advocates of private healthcare: on this website, we just want to emphasise that private healthcare can be considered as an option in certain situations by certain patients. We want people to know that licensed private healthcare options exist and that they may be affordable. Going private for something does not have to mean not making ends meet. There are a lot of private healthcare options that are reasonably priced, especially in highly competitive healthcare sectors.

If you want urgent medical advice, do not hesitate to call a hospital. Please know we cannot give specific medical advice on this website.