The need for healthcare rarely arrives at a convenient time. After all, life is busy, and trying to fit medical appointments around work commitments, family duties, and even hobbies can be extremely tricky.
So, this is where one of the biggest benefits of private healthcare can make a difference: flexibility.
Private healthcare offers greater flexibility over when, where and by whom you’re treated. In the vast majority of cases, the waiting times are shorter too, and with Practice Plus Group, prices are transparent.
Choosing private healthcare can make planned treatment easier to fit around work, family, and personal commitments. Options to access private treatment are self-pay, payments plans, or medical insurance.
Flexibility in healthcare is about more than simply being offered a different appointment time. It also means having greater involvement in the practical decisions surrounding your care.
For example, you may want to arrange surgery during a quieter period at work or to allow you to go on a holiday you booked months ago. You might prefer to have your treatment at a hospital closer to a family member who can help during recovery. You may already know which consultant you would like to see. Alternatively, you might simply want to get the ball rolling on your treatment as soon as possible.
With private medical treatment, there can be greater scope to make these decisions around your individual circumstances.
At Practice Plus Group, private patients can choose when, where, and who provides their treatment.
That extra control can be particularly valuable for planned procedures where you have time to consider your options.
One of the biggest advantages of private healthcare is being able to have more input into when appointments and treatments take place.
For many people, surgery does not just involve the day of the procedure. Depending on the type of treatment you need, you may also need to organise:
Having greater certainty around your treatment date can mean making those arrangements becomes that much easier.
Perhaps you are self-employed and want to schedule surgery between projects. Maybe you have a holiday, wedding, or important family event coming up. Or you may simply want enough notice to make sure somebody can help you when you come home.
The ability to have your pick of suitable dates gives you more control over how treatment fits into the rest of your life.
Sometimes flexibility means being able to move quickly.
Living with pain, reduced mobility, or problems with your eyesight can affect far more than just your physical health. It can also influence your work, independence, hobbies, and the ability to simply enjoy everyday life.
Private care provides an alternative route for people who would prefer to access their treatment sooner.
At Practice Plus Group, patients paying for themselves can usually expect a specialist consultation within 1-2 weeks. If needed, the treatment itself typically takes place around 4-6 weeks after consultation. Patients taking the insured route can have their consultation and treatment at a time to suit them.
Getting an earlier date can also give you more flexibility after your recovery. If treatment gets you back on your feet sooner, you may be able to get back to work, exercise, travel, or the things you enjoy without spending additional months planning around an unresolved health problem.
Another important benefit of private healthcare is the greater choice you have over the specialist responsible for your treatment.
Different consultants may have particular clinical interests, experience with certain procedures, practise at different hospitals, or a great reputation for a specific type of treatment.
Choosing private healthcare means you can explore these options and find a consultant who suits your needs.
This does not mean you need to become an expert in medical qualifications before booking an appointment. Instead, it gives you the opportunity to consider factors such as:
Practice Plus Group works with more than 200 consultants across England, covering a wide range of specialties.
Where you have your treatment matters too.
If you need multiple appointments before and after surgery, travelling a considerable distance can become inconvenient – not to mention expensive. Equally, you may also decide that travelling slightly further gives you access to a specific consultant or treatment date that suits you better.
Private healthcare can give you more freedom to consider both.
Rather than simply thinking about the closest hospital, you’ll be able to look at your wider circumstances.
For example, you might choose a hospital because:
Practice Plus Group offers planned private care through hospitals across England. This allows patients to explore treatment options according to both specialty and location.
A common misconception about private care is that you need private health insurance before you can use it.
You don’t.
Self-pay healthcare allows you to pay directly for the treatment you need, without paying an ongoing insurance premium.
This can make private care particularly flexible for somebody who wants a specific one-off procedure.
For example, you might have used NHS healthcare throughout your life but decide to pay privately for a cataract operation, joint replacement, hernia repair or another planned procedure because you would like treatment sooner.
Choosing a private procedure does not mean you have to move all of your healthcare into the private sector.
Practice Plus Group’s self-pay service offers fixed-price treatment packages for a range of procedures, helping patients understand the expected cost before proceeding.
Self-pay is not the only route for private patients.
If you have private medical insurance, either personally or through your employer, your policy may financially cover some or all of your treatment.
The exact amount of costs covered will depend on your insurer and individual policy, so you will need to check with your provider before any treatment can begin.
At Practice Plus Group, insured and self-paying patients can access private treatment, providing different routes depending on how you would prefer to fund your care.
For people paying directly, the ability to plan financially can be just as important as choosing a treatment date.
Private treatment costs vary significantly depending on the procedure you need.
To cater for this, at Practice Plus Group, we offer payment plans for eligible patients, subject to the relevant terms and approval.
Choosing this route can make it easier to compare your options before deciding whether private treatment is a viable option for you.
It also means private healthcare does not necessarily have to involve paying for an ongoing medical insurance policy. If you only require one procedure, paying for that treatment directly may be an option worth considering.
It’s important to remember that treatment is only one part of the healthcare journey.
Apart from the consultation and the process of arriving at a diagnosis and tailored treatment plan, there’s the recovery aspect too – and it’s as important as the treatment itself.
After all, recovery can generally involve any or all of the following:
Knowing when your treatment is likely to happen can make it easier to prepare for all of these things.
For example, somebody having joint surgery will likely have restricted mobility in the first few days following their operation. Consequently, they will most likely need help with things like shopping, cooking, and household tasks.
Knowing exactly when your operation is going to be can help you prepare your home, work, and family life before treatment rather than having to make arrangements at short notice.
This practical flexibility is easily overlooked, but it can make the whole experience feel much more manageable.
Choosing private treatment does not have to be an all-or-nothing decision.
Some people have private medical insurance that they use regularly. Others use the NHS for most of their healthcare but decide to pay privately for a particular procedure.
That flexibility means you can consider your options based on what matters to you at that point in time.
After all, your decision to go private depends on what your priorities are. If you want to be able to choose your own hospital, have your treatment sooner, or enjoy any of the benefits covered in this blog so far, private healthcare is well worth considering.
We’ve covered the standalone benefits of private healthcare, but what do they look like in real life? These advantages can become clearer when you think about how private treatment needs fit into everyday circumstances.
If your work is seasonal, you may have an especially busy period each year that demands more of your time. Some employers need more notice than others too when it comes to taking leave.
Being able to discuss potential treatment dates can help you select a period that causes less disruption.
If a family member needs to travel to stay with you after surgery, having greater certainty around your procedure date can make arranging transport, accommodation, and leave easier to organise.
If pain is preventing you from walking, exercising, or enjoying hobbies, waiting for treatment can feel particularly limiting. Choosing private healthcare may allow you to explore earlier treatment options.
If you’re a parent, you’ll be well aware how busy life can get, and co-ordinating multiple schedules can be difficult at the best of times. Having the ability to choose appointment and treatment dates can make it much easier to arrange things like childcare or alternative care responsibilities.
The closest hospital is not always the most convenient. You might prefer to have treatment near relatives who can help during your recovery.
These are not necessarily clinical considerations, but they can have a significant impact on how manageable your treatment journey feels.
There is no single cost for private healthcare because prices depend on the treatment needed.
Practice Plus Group offers private treatments across a network of hospitals in England, with prices available for many procedures. For private patients, the price you see is the price you pay – there are no hidden costs. Insured patients should check their policy terms to understnad the level of cover available.
Rather than looking only at headline cost, consider what is included in the quoted price. This can include things like:
If you’re a private patient, you’re much more likely to have a shorter wait for treatment than an NHS patient.
For example, at Practice Plus Group, self-pay patients will have their consultation 1-2 weeks after making an initial enquiry. Treatment (if needed) will take place 4-6 weeks after this. For insured patients, both consultation and treatment are arranged for a time to suit you.
There is no single answer to this question. Instead the right answer will depend on your specific circumstances and priorities.
The NHS provides comprehensive healthcare across the UK and remains the go-to option for the majority of the UK population when it comes to healthcare. Private care simply gives people another option for certain consultations, diagnostics, and planned treatments.
Private medical treatment may be worth exploring if you particularly value:
Ultimately, the flexibility of private healthcare means you can investigate these choices and decide which combination works best for your circumstances.
Private healthcare offers greater flexibility over when, where, and by whom you’re treated. In the vast majority of cases, the waiting times are shorter too, and with Practice Plus Group, prices are transparent.
Choosing private healthcare can make planned treatment easier to fit around work, family, and personal commitments. Options to access private treatment are self-pay, payments plans, or medical insurance.
Not yet found the information you’re looking for? Our private healthcare FAQs might be able to help!
Common benefits include:
The exact options available will depend on the provider and procedure. At Practice Plus Group, all of the above benefits are available to you if you choose private healthcare.
Private planned healthcare can provide more choice over factors such as consultant, hospital and appointment or surgery dates.
No. You can pay directly for private healthcare yourself. This is commonly known as self-pay or pay-as-you-go healthcare. Insurance is another option if you already have an appropriate policy.
Private patients can often select their preferred consultant, subject to the consultant performing the required procedure and having availability. Practice Plus Group allows patients to search its consultant network by specialty and location.
There is generally greater flexibility around private treatment dates, although the dates available depend on the procedure, consultant, and hospital.
Times vary. At Practice Plus Group, self-pay patients can usually expect a private specialist consultation within 1-2 weeks of their initial enquiry and treatment around 4-6 weeks after this. Insured patients can have treatment at a time to suit them.
Yes. You do not need an ongoing private medical insurance policy to have one private procedure. Self-pay healthcare allows you to pay directly for an individual consultation or treatment.
Yes – if eligible. Payment plans may be available for some patients. Terms, eligibility, and the total amount repayable should always be checked before entering a finance agreement.
Not always. Practice Plus Group states that a GP referral is not required in most circumstances, although some medical insurance policies may require one. Always check the requirements for your particular treatment and insurance policy.
