The NHS is a wonderful institution, but one which, as is well documented, is underfunded, understaffed and at breaking point. It means unfortunately accessing treatment in a timely way does not happen.. This is of particular concern if someone has been involved in a serious accident and suffered life–changing injuries. In those cases, swift access to rehabilitation, surgery and other treatment is vital to ensure that the seriously injured person makes the best and most expeditious recovery possible.
It is for this reason that, at Anthony Gold, we place a huge
amount of emphasis on getting rehabilitation up and running for our
clients as soon as we possibly can. We realise not only the
importance of doing so for our client's physical and psychological recovery, as the two are so
closely intertwined;. Sadly, there is a limit to the statutory
services offering and therefore where appropriate we arrange
private rehabilitation for our clients as soon as we can.
Prosthetics
One area in which I have found it is particularly important to secure funding for private treatment is in cases involving prosthetics. I have dealt with cases in which clients have suffered amputation injuries and over the course of their NHS treatment, have been provided with prosthetic devices on the NHS. Those devices have usually been bulky, uncomfortable and far from ideal, with clients often struggling to come to terms with them. Itis only when I have been able to secure funding for referral to a private prosthetist that we have been able to have the client fitted for a much more appropriate, comfortable and more advanced prosthetic device. The difference that this makes to their quality of life cannot be understated.
Surgery
Another aspect of rehabilitation in which access to the private healthcare sector is so vital is surgery. We will often receive medical expert reports recommending surgery to expedite our client's recovery, but waiting times on the NHS are prohibitive, even more so since Covid, which further extended already extensive NHS waiting times. If we can obtain approval from third party insurers for funding for the surgery to be conducted privately, it not only ensures that our clients can undergo the surgery considerably quicker than they would ever be able to get it on the NHS, but it also enables us to actively progress their claims rather than putting them on hold pending a date for an NHS procedure.
Psychotherapy
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of rehabilitation is
psychological support. We find for the most part, client with very
serious injuries, will have also have suffered a psychiatric
trauma, whether that be trauma from the accident itself (such as
with a high–speed car crash for example) or struggling to
cope with the effect that the accident and their injuries have on
their lives. Getting psychological support as early on in the claim
process is vital, as the earlier this can be implemented, the
better chance our clients have of making a better recovery.
However, waiting times for psychological support is particularly
lengthy on the NHS, if available at all. Often by the time an
individual is seen, the psychological injury has become entrenched.
However it is easier to access the right support through the
private sector and we use our client's claims to obtain funding
for private treatment.
Acting quickly
Access to private healthcare benefits both our clients and the NHS. By getting our clients into the private healthcare sector, we are able to expedite their treatment, provide them with a better long–term outcome and resolve their claims sooner, whilst simultaneously relieving the huge burden on the NHS.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
