CHAMBER NEWS


A faster, more affordable way to get the treatment you need


Late last year, the news broke that a fifth of NHS trusts missed all their waiting list targets in the year.


For patients, this often meant that they had to wait longer for treatment with the increased risk of cancellations – especially for so- called elective (or planned) surgery such as routine joint replacements, cataracts and the like.


any longer for treatment or who had been told that the care they needed was no longer available on the NHS. It is an option which is proving especially popular with people who run their own businesses, or whose work commitments mean it is important to be able to plan when their surgery takes place.


Self-pay means that patients can choose to pay for their consultant- led care at Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre at a greatly reduced rate compared with private health care alternatives – up to 30% cheaper in most cases. They can also access self-pay without the need for private health insurance and there is a 0% finance option to spread the costs.


Care UK, the organisation which runs Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre in Plymouth, recognised that this was a major issue for patients, many of whom had to make a stark choice – wait for longer in pain, or spend on expensive private care and/or insurance.


In response to the problem, Care UK launched a self-pay option for patients who did not wish to wait


In effect, it provides patients with an alternative route to the treatment they need. It has the potential to reduce pressure on existing NHS waiting lists and it gives patients the chance to get treated faster and at a time that is convenient to them.


Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre is the first hospital of its kind to have received a rating of ‘Outstanding’


from the Care Quality Commission. It provides a range of major and minor surgery in orthopaedics, general surgery (hernia repair and gall bladder removal) cataracts and endoscopy.


Mark White, Hospital Director at


Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre, commented: “Great patient care sits at the heart of everything we do, and part of that ethos is to ensure that patients have choice and a say in their care. That is why we introduced our self-pay option. Self-pay patients receive the same outstanding levels of care enjoyed by our other patients, and in the year since we launched the option it has proved to be very popular.”


More information about self-pay at Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre is available by visiting www.peninsulatreatmentcentre.nhs.uk/self-pay, or by calling 0330 058 1779.


The nine signs you may need a hip replacement


1 Persistent or recurring pain in your hip over a period of time, or pain which may also flare up in rainy weather or changes in temperature


2 Aching in your hip during and after exercise, with progressively limited hip motion or degree of bend in the joint


3 Increasing immobility such as difficulty getting in and out of chairs, walking or climbing stairs


4 A ‘grating’ feeling in the hip joint 5 Stiffness in the hip joint when you get out of bed 6 Continual pain even with medication and using a cane, and pain that keeps you awake at night 7 Stiffening up of the joint after sitting for a period of time, such as driving or at the cinema 8 Increasing pain, discomfort and immobility from a previous hip injury (such as a fractured pelvis) 9 Related pain elsewhere, such as in the knees or groin


If you have experienced any of these symptoms and are worried, you should discuss them with your GP. Unless your symptoms are very severe and debilitating, your GP is likely to first recommend pain relief and /or physiotherapy before suggesting an operation, but if and when they agree that you need a hip replacement you can ask to be referred to the hospital of your choice – which includes Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre.


14 Chamber Profile Spring 2019


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