Our practice does not normally enter into shared care agreements with private providers. This is in line with NHS guidance that private and NHS care should be kept as clearly separate as possible, to avoid the NHS subsidising private treatment and to protect NHS capacity for all patients.
We will only consider shared care arrangements with a specialist if:
- The specialist is providing care under an NHS-commissioned service , and
- The patient has been referred by the NHS (for example, via an NHS referral from the GP or another NHS service), not as a purely private patient.
If you choose to see a specialist privately (including abroad) without an NHS referral, any ongoing prescribing, monitoring, and follow-up remain the responsibility of the private provider, unless and until your care is formally transferred into the NHS and an appropriate NHS service accepts responsibility.
Many NHS GP surgeries, including ours, are now unable to take on shared care with private providers because of:
- Safety concerns (for example, limited access to full clinical information, unclear monitoring arrangements, or difficulty accessing timely specialist advice)
- Capacity and workload pressures
This additional work can reduce our ability to see and treat patients we are actually contracted and resourced to care for under the NHS.
If you have had private treatment and wish to transfer your care to the NHS, we will follow NHS guidance and, where appropriate, refer you to an NHS service so that your ongoing care can be managed within the NHS system.