Private Services

Sometimes patients ask us about ‘going private’. This means paying for your hospital treatment and care yourself, or using a healthcare insurance policy to cover the costs. The Western Trust provides the same quality of care to everyone, whether the cost of their treatment is paid for by the NHS, by insurance companies, or by the patient.

Private services are limited and not available to all specialities, depending on waiting lists and capacity. Your GP will be able to advise you on the referral process, if you are considering private treatment.

The consultant will explain the costs of professional fees and any other specialists fees, e.g. radiologist, anaesthetist etc.

Hospital fees are separate from professional fees and should be paid directly to the hospital. For information on hospital fees, please contact the access to healthcare team, who are responsible for private/paying patients.

Some of our consultant staff carry out private treatment in other hospitals, such as the North West Independent Hospital (NWIH) in Ballykelly. If you want to know more about this, talk to your consultant.

If you decide to go private, the access to health care staff will advise you on the process. You will be asked to complete an ‘Undertaking to Pay’ form, this is a formal agreement telling us that you or your insurance company will pay for your care. If you have private health insurance you will be also be required to complete an insurance form. If you do not have private health insurance you will be expected to pay for your hospital treatment in advance of treatment. The access to healthcare team will advise you in advance of the cost and ways to pay. Professional fees will be an additional cost to you and will be provided by the consultant.

Booking a single room

Occasionally we have single rooms available in Altnagelvin Hospital that you can pay for per night, this can be requested on admission to the ward. If you pay for a single room, your treatment and care, any tests you need, and all your meals, will still be paid for by the NHS. We can’t guarantee a single room, as we may need them for very ill patients or for other clinical reasons. We have more single rooms on our maternity wards than on other wards so if you’re having a baby, your chances of getting a single room are better, though still not guaranteed.

Want to know more? We hope this information is helpful. If you need to know more about private treatment, the access to healthcare officers or your consultant will be happy to advise you.