tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15151073723928268052010-04-30T17:44:43.319+01:00A UK private health insurance news and information blog discussing the latest developments in the health and medical insurance (PMI) industry.Health Insurance UKnoreply@blogger.comBlogger226125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1515107372392826805.post-89724268958020185722010-04-30T17:38:00.001+01:002010-04-30T17:44:43.327+01:00

An NHS hospital in the UK has come under criticism twice in the same week because of concerns over its hygiene standards. On Wednesday this week, the family of an elderly woman have complained about the level of care she received in Luton and Dunstable Hospital, after she was found lying in her own faeces and dehydrated. An E.coli outbreak in 2008 where two babies died is also the source of

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Private patients should be able to jump the queues on NHS waiting lists, according to the participants of one of the latest surveys. A poll of readers of ‘Health Insurance and Protection Magazine’ found that over three quarters of people believe that a person who has already got a referral from a private consultant should be able to join an NHS waiting list higher up than someone who hasn’t

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The Liberal Democrats have become increasingly popular in the UK, especially since the MP’s expenses scandal last year and has gained percentage points in recent polls in the run up to the general election. In the increasing likelihood of a hung parliament next month, Nick Clegg and his party will have a vital contribution to the running of the future government and their policies have come to

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As various election campaigns get into full swing across the country with only weeks left until polling day on May 6th, Freedom Healthnet continues its special look at the party’s proposals for healthcare provisions. The NHS is a long standing and vital issue for the vying politicians and their plans for its future not only have an effect upon the state of free healthcare itself, but also for the

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Politicians across the UK have been launching their election manifestos this week ahead of the general election on May 6th. Unsurprisingly, the NHS has come to the forefront of debate so Freedom Healthnet is taking a look at each of the main party’s visions for the health care of the future and the likely impact of this on private medical insurance.The Labour PartyPrimary care trusts are one of

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Millions of people in the UK are lucky enough to be covered by a private medical insurance (PMI) policy provided by their employer. These are great, not only for the workforce by having access to some of the best healthcare facilities in the country and being able to beat often long waiting times of the NHS for treatment, but for less obvious reasons for the company too. Over three quarters of

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Premiums for private medical insurance could end up being up to twenty percent lower following a new ruling from the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC). At the end of last month, the Commission told the British Medical Association (BMA) that it could no longer publish guidelines on the fees that consultants can charge for private work. The corporate affairs minister, Neil Hamilton, told the

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A campaign group has said that politicians shouldn’t be involved in the NHS. The claim was made just weeks before the general election by Helen Evans of Nurses for Reform who believe that the health service should be depoliticised. This comes just at the time when the NHS is becoming one of the central debates for campaigning politicians yet again, who are looking to persuade the general public

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The private sector is looking to play an increasingly important role within the NHS, especially following the general election according to industry experts. The Chief Executive of private health provider Bupa, Ray King, told the London Evening Standard, “Whichever colour of party comes into power they will make the NHS seek higher levels of productivity and that inevitably means engaging with

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Millions of workers in the UK are taking days off sick because they are unsatisfied with their jobs. Illness is one of the biggest problems for employers and costs huge sums of money every year through loss of productivity and efficiency. But now it seems that it not sickness itself that is causing all of these problems. According to one of the latest surveys published by Bupa, nearly half of the

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Cleanliness of NHS hospitals has taken a back seat when it comes to the public’s concerns about the NHS. A new survey carried out by You Gov on behalf of The Sun has revealed that significantly more people named putting targets ahead of patient care and postcode rationing of drugs as bigger problems in the health service than cleanliness of wards. These concerns were also backed up when the 1,747

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NHS patients have been treated in places like mop cupboards because there was no space left on a ward. That’s according to a survey of 900 nurses printed in the Nursing Times this month. Almost two-thirds of those who took part said they had experienced patients being treated in an area that hadn’t been specifically designated for treatment. Among the places named in the survey that were used

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Doctors have been adding their criticism to a controversial new NHS database that will hold digital patient records. The British Medical Association has now written a letter to the Health Secretary Andy Burnham to express their views on the proposed Summary Care Record System. The group says that while they agree to the ideas behind the new database, they are worried about certain aspects of it.

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Some private medical insurance providers are beginning to encourage their client’s employees to consider being treated in an NHS hospital rather than making full use of their private health insurance cover. Staff are being offered £200 a night to use the NHS for their treatment rather than going into a private hospital. The BBC is reported to be involved in such a scheme, although a spokesperson

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The rising numbers of people suffering from obesity in the UK could lead to an increase in the number of people getting a quote for private medical insurance. That’s according to the website quoteboffin.co.uk, who believe that the pressure of obesity related illnesses on the NHS will cause waiting lists to grow and persuade more people to find an alternative to staying in lengthy queues. A

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People may become reliant on private health insurance to gain access to homeopathy services if the latest recommendations for the government are carried out. A report from the science and technology parliamentary committee has advised that homeopathy should no longer be funded by the NHS. The government has recognised that there is no evidence that these sorts of treatments work and have been

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National waiting lists make no difference to the number of people who take out private medical insurance. That’s according to one study that investigated into the many factors that could encourage a person to seek private healthcare. Gavin Wallis, in his 2003 ‘The Determinants of Demand for Private Medical Insurance: Evidence from the British Household Panel Survey’ found that it was regional

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The numbers of people who may take out private medical insurance could significantly increase over the next few years if the patterns noted by one study are correct. Gavin Wallis, in his 2003 report ‘The Determinants of Demand for Private Medical Insurance: Evidence from the British Household Panel Survey’ found that when government spending on public health care increased around the turn of the

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Healthcare debates in the Commons are likely to step up a level after a new report has been published this month on the challenges facing the NHS. The research, which was carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit, discusses the main issues facing the health service and makes recommendations for improvements. The NHS is already a major policy area for political parties, even more so as the

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Large business in the UK are still valuing the benefits of having private medical insurance for their staff but may be considering cutting down their level of cover to keep employees happy. Recession hit workers are having to pay the P11D tax on their benefits and those on lower incomes are finding this difficult. Rather than cancelling their cover altogether, many companies still want to keep

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Complaints from patients about NHS GPs have rocketed in the past year. Nearly 40,000 people weren’t happy with the service in the last 12 months, which is an increase of 12 percent. The rise in the number of complaints has coincided with the controversial change in out of hours care brought about back in 2004 which has come under fire a number of times since. The changes meant that Primary Care

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Cash plan private medical insurance has been taken up by increasing numbers of employers. In 2006, corporate health insurance accounted for 8 percent of the market, but in 2008 this had risen to 13 percent according to Mintel. A report by Laing and Buisson found that the number of cash plans provided by companies increased 29 percent in 2008, bringing the total to 378,000. Stephen Duff, deputy

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The private healthcare sector could help to solve the debate of how to deal with the NHS, says the group chief executive at one of the UK’s biggest health insurance providers. Speaking at the Conservative Manifesto Conference, head of AXA UK Nicolas Moreau, said, “Preserving and protecting the NHS should be at the forefront of Government policy but this comes at a cost. A future government will

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Back pain sufferers and other patients with musculoskeletal complaints may be persuaded to take out a quote for private health insurance after it was revealed that over half of patients have to wait over six weeks for physiotherapy on the NHS. An investigation carried out by Health Insurance and Protection magazine has found that only forty percent of the 126 out of 152 primary care trusts that

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Many companies in the United States are becoming less satisfied with their private health insurance providers, according to one of the latest surveys. PricewaterhouseCoopers have found that the recession has caused many American companies to look again at the private health cover they are offering for their employees. The two main things that bosses said they would like to see improve is better

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