# difference between self funding at nhs hospital & private clinic



## tinkerbell24 (Apr 18, 2013)

Hi girls I've been looking at private hospitals for ivf which is going to cost between 5-6 grand but my gyno at the nhs hospital has told me they are now taking on self funding patients and it's cheaper than a private clinic. He didn't tell me any prices he said I need to go back and see someone e les who deals with costs etc. Has anyone had private treatment at a mgs hospital and if so was it cheaper and is there any difference or is it best to go to an actual ivf clinic thank you


----------



## JoJo7 (Aug 24, 2013)

Hi tinkerbell, 

We did notice a difference in price for IVF and ICSI at a private hospital in Edinburgh in comparison to paying for tx at an NHS hospital in Dundee. Depending on what tx the difference could be quite significant. 

Not sure what area you are in but if you know the names of the private and NHS hospitals I. Your area they usually have prices for tx on their websites that you can compare.

Good luck 
Jojo x


----------



## JoJo7 (Aug 24, 2013)

P.s the success rates appeared to be better at the private hospital also but I'm not sure why or how much credence I give to that xx


----------



## tinkerbell24 (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks for your reply I'm from stoke and the nhs I go to is 45 minutes away. We want to give ivf the best possible chance as we don't have the funds to keep trying so when the nhs said they do self funding at cheaper price I was thrilled to say the least. They've only just started taking on self funding patients. He says they have a hood success rate but I don't know much about the success rates ect x


----------



## Me Myself and I (Dec 30, 2012)

The main difference is that you pay for what others maybe getting free. As it was explained to me-same waiting times in between appointments, appointments in between nhs patients, just you pay! 
However, private clinics are also not all theyre cracked up to be IMO.


----------



## bombsh3ll (Apr 19, 2012)

Hi Tinkerbell24,

If you're paying for it I would definitely advise a private clinic rather than NHS self funding.

I did a self funded cycle in an NHS hospital in Edinburgh and not only received extremely poor care resulting in massive hyperstimulation, we also lost £2500 that was not refunded when my cycle was cancelled, despite the consultant admitting that someone my age with high AMH should never have been put on such a high dose of menopur. 

The waiting list was over a year, the appointments were all really inconvenient and involved waiting around for hours each time, and the approach to treatment was very much one size fits all. It completely lacked the personal touch and no information was given about how much money would be refunded if it went wrong at various stages. You are given very little say in your treatment and pressurized to accept SET if you get that far. 

We only saw the consultant before the cycle started and after it had gone **** up, during the actual treatment my drug doses and scans were handled by less experienced junior doctors and nurses which led to my receiving far too aggressive a stimulation. In the NHS you never see the same person twice and there is little accountability, whereas privately one consultant works with you throughout the cycle and oversees everything.

We felt we were paying almost as much as private prices for NHS treatment, and that the hospital seemed to be exploiting paying patients to fund the service for people getting it free.

Have a good look what is on offer in your area before deciding. In particular ask about waiting lists at NHS self funding, also whether paying patients are allowed 2 embryos back if desired, and with any clinic find out what you would be able to claim back if the cycle failed at any stage prior to ET. 

Good luck,

B xxx


----------



## goldbunny (Mar 26, 2012)

good luck with your treatmrnt


remember success rates can be down to the patients the clinic takes on, so a private clinic might make their rates look good by refusing difficult cases... conversely, a clinic with less good stats on paper might be just more willing to take a risk... so if you are looking at success rates, try and take the whole picture into account and ask about policies if need be.

even in a private clinic you might not see the consultant during a cycle unless there is a problem. they also vary in how good they are at communicating etc. but i think it is worth exploring your options.


----------



## tinkerbell24 (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks for your replies bombshell sorry you had a bad time, I'll ddefiantly be looking around and asking as many questions as possible my problem is I always come away with forgotton questions and end up having to phone the clinic back. It's all just so confusing and so much to take in x


----------

