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[Nik2502]

Evening

Anyone else a patient of Newson struggling to get a follow up appointment? I’ve been told today that my doctor has no appointments until May 2023!

They used to be so helpful and supportive - I’ve been a patient since their early days - now everything comes with a cost even an email.

It’s sad that it seems care comes second to money!

N x

[CLKD]

This situation has been mentioned previously on here.  Popular = money?

[Nik2502]

Totally agree. It’s such a shame as the care three years ago was first class x

[CLKD]

Too much media attention?  I would then begin to believe that they treat women who can afford advice ........... which leaves others where exactly? 

[Nik2502]

Yes I agree. They claim they want to help women but only the ones who can afford the £350 initial fee!

[CLKD]

Of course we shouldn't have to pay for advice/treatment  but if it's quicker and 1 would expect to be listened to and not feel rushed ..........

[Kathleen]

Hello Nik2502

I became a patient of NH at the end of 2019.

They are expensive and of course every additional service has to be paid for eg  blood tests and prescriptions. I would be happy with  all this if I felt better but in reality I haven't noticed much improvement! When I relayed this fact to my NH doctor she just said  'Well, I only do the hormones'. I felt like adding 'and not very well at that'.

Perhaps I expected too much from them. I thought that all the clinicians would be experts on the menopause but I suspect that the doctors are simply GPs who have had a bit of HRT training. My doctor certainly didn't know why I wasn't responding to HRT in the text book manner.

Having said all of that I will keep my next appointment which is in January but in the meantime I hope to speak to an NHS consultant who has had thirty years experience working with Menopausal women.

Take care and wishing you well.

K.

[Clarella]

I got an email a couple of weeks ago to say no waiting lists now as they’d got lots of extra drs?

Unless that got loads of people flooding in?!

[Nik2502]

Hi

I think you can get new patient appointments but follow ups are harder to get especially if you want to see the same doctor. I think we should be seen by the same clinician for continuity of care.

Nik x

[JoJo42]

350 quid for the initial fee!!! Whoa! I would never ever be able to afford that, let alone any follow up care and appointments. I’ve had to muddle my way through the last 12 years with Gps who have openly admitted they were not up to date with menopause. Thank goodness for this forum is all I can say!

[Nik2502]

Hi

That’s just to see the doctor - extra costs for prescription, meds and blood tests.
I got an 0% credit card to pay. It was my last resort.

Nik x

350 quid for the initial fee!!! Whoa! I would never ever be able to afford that, let alone any follow up care and appointments. I’ve had to muddle my way through the last 12 years with Gps who have openly admitted they were not up to date with menopause. Thank goodness for this forum is all I can say!

[JoJo42]

Whaaaaat!!! For that money you’d think they’d at least throw in the blood tests!! 350 quid to see a doctor…. They must be bloody good!

I feel for you. I bet the costs soon rack up! It would have cost me a fortune over the years. I’ve had three scans on the nhs what would that have cost privately - dread to think. I couldn’t afford to even pay back a credit card. I have patch hrt and use a vagifem pessary every night. I wouldn’t be able to have/keep up the treatment privately. I’ve just bumbled along with trial and error…and getting advice here during many a meno-induced meltdown…or when a gp has tried to stop my vagifem because i was on the patches…or sent me for swab after swab when i actually had va…. or decided to change me to a different hrt….or given me lecture upon lecture upon lecture about the evils of hrt and treating me like some kind of failure because i couldn’t cope with the meno symptoms. Nightmare isn’t it. xx

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

JoJo42 - Nik2502 is right, the costs soon mount up. As the prescriptions are private  you pay for every item plus you pay the pharmacy to deliver them to you by post.

Along with the cost of the blood test there is a £30 fee for the phlebotomist. The tests have to be done at a clinic that has a commissioning contract with NH meaning you cannot be told your results, you have to wait for your NH doctor to inform you.

I understand all this is standard practice for private medicine where contracts dictate terms and everything is costed and charged for!

Wishing you all well ladies.

K.



 

[JoJo42]

Blimey!!! Pity they can’t reduce costs for menopause issues and treatments, or do an initial consult and then refer back to the nhs for follow up treatment.

[Clarella]

Well it’s put me off - I was dithering about trying them.

My concern is I may need more than 100 patches and how hard that may be to get via nhs.

I do know gps (friends) though who’ve been getting more training - one attended Dr Curry’s conference a couple of weeks ago and found it excellent. Hopefully this will gradually improve nhs care