Consultant Initial Appointment Terms and Conditions

Your initial consultation

If we are unable to hold your appointment face to face, we will be in touch to arrange a consultation over the phone.

If you are paying by Private Medical Insurance, please note that without an authorisation code you are liable for the full self-pay cost of your initial appointment.

If you are paying yourself, we may contact you in advance of the appointment to take payment, otherwise you’ll receive an invoice after your consultation. Please note that if you do not attend your booked appointment you will be liable for the full self-pay cost.

Nuffield Health Privacy Statement

Confidentiality: The confidentiality of patient information is of paramount concern to Nuffield Health. To this end, Nuffield Health complies with Data Protection Act 1998 and clinical confidentiality guidelines. Details of processing undertaken are provided in the Nuffield Health Privacy Statement which can be found at http://www.nuffieldhealth.com/nuffield-health-privacy-policy.

Clinical Information: Clinical information will be kept confidential and secure. It will only be disclosed to, and received from, those involved with your treatment or care or to their agents and, if applicable, to any person or organisation who may be responsible for meeting your treatment expenses, or their agents (e.g. where payment is being met by NHS, Insurers etc.). Such people or organisations may wish to send details of your treatment or expenses to companies outside of the European Economic Area for processing.

Nuffield Health Consultants and Independent Medical Practitioners carry out services as independent practitioners and therefore handle and process patient information within their private practice. Processing of this information may involve your consultant sending information directly to insurers for settlement of accounts. All independent Consultants and Medical Practitioners engaged by Nuffield Health are obliged to handle data in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and apply appropriate safeguards to protect information.

Research: Nuffield Health participates in national audits and initiatives to help ensure that patients are getting the best possible outcomes from their treatment and care.

Nuffield Health will use your personal data in order to monitor the outcome of your treatment by us and any treatment associated with your care, including any NHS treatment. The highest standards of confidentiality will be applied to your personal data in accordance with data protection law and confidentiality. Any publishing of this data will be in anonymised statistical form. Anonymous or aggregated data may be used by Nuffield Health, or disclosed to others, for research or statistical purposes and registered with such bodies

Access to Non-Clinical Information: Access to non-clinical information may be granted by Nuffield Health to others on a strictly confidential basis in the course of, and for the purpose of, the efficient administration of Nuffield Health (for example, in connection with audit, systems development, managing or improving our services).

Support Services: In the usual course of our business, we may use third party organisations to support the essential delivery of our IT services. Some IT service providers may host data in servers located outside of the EEA, when using cloud-based solutions. Where this is the case we have implemented appropriate security to protect the personal information disclosed to us from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration and destruction.

TERMS OF ADMINISTRATION FOR IN, DAY AND OUT PATIENTS

1. Nuffield Health will provide accommodation, nursing care and other services as appropriate at the request of the medical practitioner/s that is/are supervising your care.

2. Fees for services provided by medical consultants, general practitioners and anaesthetists are additional to charges made by Nuffield Health unless they are covered by the terms agreed for paying for yourself patients or you are admitted through the NHS.

3. Personal expenses e.g. newspapers, guests’ food and beverages or telephone calls, will be charged for and bills must be settled before leaving the hospital.

4. Please do not bring valuable items into the hospital. Nuffield Health will not accept liability for any loss or damage to any personal items or valuables.

5. Nuffield Health has in place a complaints and an access to personal data procedure, details of which can be obtained from the hospital reception or found in the Patients’ Guide.

6. All consultants are self-employed and provide their services direct to you and not on behalf of the hospital. The consultant remains fully liable for your medical care and Nuffield Health cannot accept any liability for his/her practice.

TERMS AND GUIDE TO PRICES

1. Provision of Services
Nuffield Health will provide accommodation, nursing and other services to you (the patient) at the request of the medical practitioner who is admitting you to hospital and under whose supervision your medical care remains.

2. Professional Fees
Fees for services provided by self-employed independent practitioners’ e.g. medical consultants’, general practitioners and anaesthetists, are in addition to charges made by Nuffield Health, unless they are covered by the terms applicable for paying for yourself patients or your treatment is funded by the NHS.

3. Personal Expenses
Expenses will be charged for separately, and must be paid on or before leaving the hospital. Any balance outstanding will be subject to paragraph 4 below. If a third party or insurer has agreed to pay your account, any balance outstanding if the third party or insurer does not pay the account in full must be paid by you in accordance with paragraph 4 below.

4. Payment Terms
If a third party or insurer has agreed to pay your account or part of your account, any balance outstanding if the third party or insurer does not pay the account in whole or in part will be your responsibility and must be paid by you in accordance with this paragraph.

Nuffield Health requires all patients to provide valid credit/debit card details prior to patient appointment/admission which will be used to collect any outstanding unspecified amounts in respect of:

  • Services where the hospital does not deal directly with the patient’s insurer.
  • Services, charges, related expenses and any policy excess not covered, in whole or part, by the patient’s insurance company or in the case of patients paying for their own treatment, services charges and expenses not covered by the terms agreed for their treatment, or the NHS.
  • Consultants’ professional fees (where applicable).

4.1. Insured Patients
4.1.1. Direct Settlement by Insurance Companies
YOU SHOULD CHECK WITH YOUR INSURER THAT YOU HAVE ADEQUATE COVER.
We will try to help you do this, but only your insurer can confirm that your cover is adequate. The credit/debit card details supplied to Nuffield Health pursuant to clause 4 will be used for any shortfall and/or outstanding balances as in paragraph 4. If your insurance company operates a direct settlement scheme,

Nuffield Health will send your account and claim form to the insurance company for payment on your behalf. So that we can do this, you will need to obtain pre-authorisation in advance for tests and treatment that you are to receive.

You will also need to provide us with a completed and signed claim form before you are discharged from the hospital. If your insurance company does not pay the account in full within 30 days from the date you were discharged, any outstanding balances will be notified to you by letter. You will have 10 days from the date of our letter to query this outstanding payment before your credit/ debit card is debited with the outstanding balance. A receipt will be provided on request.

4.1.2. No Direct Settlement Scheme
If your insurance company does not operate a direct settlement scheme, or if you are unable to provide us with a completed and signed claim form, you must pay your account in full 7 working days (or 10 working days, If paying by personal cheque to allow for clearance) before treatment, if coming into hospital as an Inpatient, or on the day of the patient’s appointment/test/treatment if an Outpatient. The credit/debit card details supplied to Nuffield Health pursuant to paragraph 4 will be used for any outstanding balances.

4.2. Payment by Third Parties excluding Solicitor Requested Work
If your company, employer or other third party (except for NHS funded patients), agrees to pay your account, a letter of authority must be produced when you are admitted to the hospital. The letter will need to confirm that your account will be paid in full within 21 days from the date you are discharged from hospital.

Should the company, employer or other third party (except for NHS funded patients) not pay the account in full within 21 days from the date you were discharged, outstanding balances will be notified to your by letter. You will have 10 days from the date of our letter to query this outstanding payment before your credit/debit card is debited. The credit/debit card details supplied to Nuffield Health pursuant to paragraph 4 will be used for any outstanding balances.

4.3. NHS Patients
Personal expenses e.g. newspapers, guests’ food and beverages or telephone calls must be paid in full on the day of your discharge from hospital. The credit/ debit card details supplied to Nuffield Health pursuant to paragraph 4 will be used only for such outstanding balances.

N.B. We accept most major credit and debit cards. Unless otherwise agreed Nuffield Health reserves the right to vary charges without prior notice.

Paying for yourself

Below, we explain the Terms and Conditions that apply when you pay for treatment yourself.

If you require treatment we will provide a fixed quotation for this, subject to a clinical pre-assessment, and the service you require being provided by our hospital or another Nuffield Health hospital if this proves necessary. Our fixed quotation will be provided to you following a satisfactory consultant assessment and will remain fixed for 60 days.

General Terms

These terms and conditions, together with the written quotation and the Agreement to Terms and Conditions, form the basis of our contract with you. The quotation we offer you is only valid once you have received written confirmation from us. This fixed quotation that we provide to you is valid for 60 days from the date of issue and will be sent following a satisfactory consultant assessment.

Our hospital and your consultant must be satisfied that you do not have any pre-existing medical conditions, or other factors, that are likely to give rise to complications, or the need for additional treatment, during your stay. Before confirming your admission we will use our clinical pre-assessment service to establish that we are able to treat you at our hospital. Our fixed quotation will not change during the 60 day period referred to above, but we reserve the right not to provide treatment if it is not clinically appropriate for us to do so.

You will be required to pay in full for your treatment before admission to hospital and before receiving any procedure.

You can pay by credit or debit card, or cheque. We require you to allow 10 working days for personal cheque clearance before you receive treatment.

No refund will be given if you decide not to proceed with the treatment after admission to hospital or if you decide to discharge yourself, at any time, against the advice of your consultant or the nursing staff.

You will not be admitted to our hospital until we receive payment in full in advance.

Cancellation charges:

  • For early cancellation (more than 14 days before planned treatment) a full refund will be given.
  • For cancellation between 14 days and 24 hours of planned treatment cancellation charges of 50% of the total fee will apply.
  • If you cancel within 24 hours of planned treatment or do not attend our hospital at the correct time, you will be liable for the full charge.
  • Clinical pre-assessment charges will be included in the price you are quoted. If you decide not to go ahead with your treatment after admission to our hospital, you will be charged separately for services as appropriate.
  • For any cancellation 14 days or fewer before planned treatment, where any item/s specific to your treatment has been ordered and cannot be returned, we will be entitled to charge you for such item/s unless your treatment is rescheduled within the 60 day period during which your quote remains valid.
  • If following pre-assessment, your consultant determines it is not suitable to proceed with treatment a full refund will be given

The fixed quotation we provide will include any consultants’ fees for your treatment. Nuffield Health will collect those fees as agent for your consultant and anaesthetist who are independent practitioners. Consultants will charge you separately for your initial consultation/s.

Overseas Patients: This section only applies if you are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.

  • You must inform us in writing before or at the time of booking your treatment (and in any event before your treatment commences) if you are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.
  • You acknowledge and agree that:
    • if you are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, you are solely and fully liable to pay all fees, charges and other costs if you require NHS treatment (including, but not limited to, NHS emergency treatment) whilst you are in the United Kingdom, whether or not related to your treatment with us;
    • you have made appropriate arrangements to pay for your treatment; and
    • we may contact the Home Office and/or UK Border Agency to verify your immigration status and your leave to enter and remain in the United Kingdom for the purposes of your treatment.
  • By signing and accepting these Terms & Conditions you confirm that you have valid leave to enter and remain in the United Kingdom for the purposes of your treatment, that you are fully compliant with all applicable immigration laws and criteria, and that you are lawfully permitted to receive the treatment we will be providing to you.

Treatment

WHAT IS INCLUDED

  • All consultant fees for the duration of your stay
  • Fees for out-patient consultations with your consultant following surgery, as clinically required in relation to your original procedure
  • All hospital services e.g. room, nursing services, operating theatre charges
  • Charges for the agreed prosthesis (where your procedure involves any prosthesis)
  • Drugs and other materials used during your stay, excluding fertility treatments
  • All additional costs necessary to provide your treatment e.g. hire of special instruments or equipment
  • Critical care charges including any transfers to NHS critical care facilities
  • Outpatient treatment that you may require after you leave hospital that relates to the procedure, including routine physiotherapy, removal of sutures, removal/application of plaster cast, routine radiology and pathology when provided by Nuffield Health
  • Any re-admission to a Nuffield Health facility for medical complications arising from the original procedure, subject to following post operative recommendations as set out by your consultant
  • A replacement prosthesis in accordance with the manufacturer’s warranty if the prosthesis fails during its expected lifetime.

The prices detailed in our quotation do not include:

  • Any initial outpatient diagnostic services other than those directly related to clinical pre-assessment prior to admission
  • Fees for outpatient consultations before surgery, which will be invoiced to you directly by your consultant unless otherwise specified. These prices are not set by Nuffield Health, but by your consultant.
  • Personal charges for example, newspapers, guests’ food and beverages and telephone calls
  • If you choose to remain an inpatient at a Nuffield Health hospital after your consultant has advised there is no clinical reason for you to stay, we will make an additional charge for each night that you remain in hospital
  • Treatment of other conditions identified at pre-assessment which require a separate pathway of care
  • A replacement prosthesis where required due to normal wear and tear
  • Any long term care that may be required (whether provided at your home or otherwise)
  • Any revision procedure which is not clinically required (clinically required means where further intervention and/or monitoring of your condition is deemed necessary as a direct result of the original surgical intervention)

Any outstanding balances will be notified to you by letter, email or SMS.