Patient and Clinic
Information
All you need to know about our private dermatology and clinics
Patient Information
What to expect in private healthcare
Why see a Dermatologist privately?
The NHS provides world-class access to treatment and allows all of us in the UK to receive the highest levels of specialist care. This works well for serious diagnoses such as cancer and emergency care. However, the NHS needs to improve the speed of access for non-life-threatening or non-urgent problems. In some parts of the UK, the waiting time for a routine NHS Dermatology appointment can be over six months.
Therefore, it is unsurprising that some people consider paying to visit a private dermatology clinic. But unless you are one of the 10% of the UK population to have private health insurance, often via a company scheme, you must pay to see a clinician and for any recommended treatment.
At Newcastle Skin Partnership we pride ourselves on honesty and transparency. We would not want you to spend money if we felt seeing your GP and/or waiting to see a Dermatologist through the NHS would be the better option for you. Therefore, we always advise you to consider carefully your decision to attend a private clinic or NHS.
Things to consider
- Private clinics vary significantly. Some of the large private hospitals in London will have all the services of a modern NHS hospital whereas smaller clinics will offer far fewer services.
- Most private clinics will not have specialist Dermatology nurses. This means that complex dressings including lower leg compression bandaging for leg ulcers will often not be available.
- Most private clinics will not have phototherapy services for treating psoriasis and eczema. The equipment needs a lot of maintenance and monitoring and is often only available in NHS departments
- If you need tablets or injection treatments (often called ‘systemics’ or ‘biologics’) for eczema or psoriasis, you will require blood tests to monitor your health at the start and during treatment. If you are not insured, the cost of these can be considerable, with a single blood test costing as much as £90 and much more if you need multiple test panels on each monitoring visit. Additionally, most UK health insurance plans do not pay for medications. The cost of these can be significant. Therefore, most people choose to wait for an NHS appointment if they need these medications.
- Private clinics do not usually offer urgent access. Urgent problems are best managed via the NHS. If you have a suspected serious skin cancer, the NHS will see you within two weeks. Many NHS Dermatology departments also run urgent clinics for severe rashes and will see patients within 48-72 hours.
- All visits to a private clinic will have a fee. The fee structure will often be in two parts; a fee to the doctor and another to the hospital or clinic. Running a private clinic isn't cheap and includes costs like medical indemnity insurance, secretarial support, room rental, IT support, billing and accountancy. Some self-paying patients are surprised by the costs involved, thus knowing the costs in advance is always important.
- If you have a complex problem requiring multiple investigations by different specialists or need long term care, the NHS will undoubtedly provide a better service from a financial perspective.
What are the benefits of booking a private Dermatology appointment?
- For non-urgent conditions, the waiting time for a private appointment will generally be shorter than the NHS.
- In a private clinic you will see an experienced Consultant and have a longer appointment than in the NHS.
- You will likely get a definite diagnosis quickly and a clear explanation of scientifically-proven treatment options. You may also receive advice that you would be best to seek treatment through the NHS.
- It is important to distinguish a private dermatology clinic from a cosmetic skin clinic. A dermatologist may tell you your condition has no cure or evidence-based treatments for your problem. A cosmetic-focussed clinic may offer products you may have seen advertised online as a quick fix or easy cure for a complicated problem. Many of these products (for example, treatments for hair thinning) have yet to be scientifically proven. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is - and finding out will cost you a lot of money.
- If you require long-term care, a private Dermatologist may advise you that the NHS would be the better option.
- If you require a procedure, the waiting time is generally much shorter in a private clinic than in the NHS.
- Increasingly the NHS will not remove benign skin lesions such as skin tags, viral warts or benign cysts. Private clinics will remove these.
- Private Dermatology clinics will perform routine mole checks. These are generally not offered by the NHS. The NHS will see you within two weeks if there is any concern about melanoma, squamous cell or rare skin cancers. However, the waiting time for suspected basal cell skin cancer is often longer.
What will it cost?
We have aimed to be as competitive as possible in the current environment.
Depending on the clinic and the length of the appointment, a new patient appointment will cost between £195 to £300. Minimum follow up cost will be £125 - depending on the appointment duration and complexity.
The cost of a skin procedure will depend on the complexity and facilities needed. For example, a mole removal which can be done in a treatment room will cost between £500- £750, including sample analysis. Approximately one third of the fee will be for the doctor and the rest for the hospital or clinic providing the facilities. However, removing a facial skin cancer lesion requiring a main theatre will cost between £1250 and £2000 due to the higher number of specialist staff and equipment involved. Complex surgery such as Mohs micrographic surgery, needed for some skin cancers, may cost around £5000.
Private healthcare insurance or paying yourself
When booking your appointment, we will ask you how you will fund your treatment. You must check that your chosen consultant is registered with your insurance company.
Appointments, waiting times, follow up
The Nuffield hospital will organise your appointment after you have submitted either a GP referral or completed a self-referral form. You can choose whether you wish to see a particular consultant based upon their areas of expertise or whether to see the consultant with the shortest waiting time for your condition. Waiting times vary according to demand and your skin complaint. If a follow-up appointment is required, you can arrange this directly with the consultant during your appointment, or contact the Nuffield Hospital to arrange this at a later date.
Accessibility to your consultant
You will receive a letter summarising your consultation; these are sent by email if possible. The letter will contain information regarding contact details for your consultant's secretarial team, which should be your first point of call for any queries resulting from your appointment. To make an appointment you should contact the Nuffield hospital.
Can you bring a friend/family member with you?
One friend or family member can accompany you to your appointment. Children may be accompanied by up to two parents or carers.
Clinic information
Your visit to our clinic
The Newcastle Skin Partnership work at The Nuffield Hospital in Jesmond, Newcastle. In addition, we offer telephone appointments and digital assessment of submitted images.
Face-to-Face
Telephone Clinic
Facilities
Frequently asked questions
Nuffield Health provides excellent outpatient clinics and dermatology surgery facilities with full nursing support.
What tests and procedures can be performed at the clinic?
We can perform blood tests, skin biopsies and skin surgery at the clinic. Some more complex tests may require visits to the Royal Victoria Infirmary private patient facilities.
What to expect at the clinic.
Patients are greeted at the main reception and directed to the outpatient clinic or the minor surgery suite. The waiting room is comfortable and coffee, tea and water are available.
Easy access to parking?
Free parking is available at Nuffield Newcastle, although the car park can get quite full at busy times. Nearby street parking is also available, and Jesmond Metro is a 5-minute walk.
