The purpose of this letter is to set out the Department of Health’s policy in relation to pre and post treatment care for patients who wish to avail of private health care within the UK.
Where a patient seeks pre and/or post treatment care specific to their private treatment, they will not be entitled to such support from primary or secondary care services in Northern Ireland. Therefore, it will be important for the individual to ensure that all pre and post treatment costs are included in the overall package of care procured from the private healthcare provider.
In line with normal practice, patients will continue to be able to access emergency care where necessary.
In circumstances where a patient is receiving care in the Independent Sector as a HSC patient, pre and post treatment care will be provided by the HSC as normal. It is therefore recommended that where a healthcare professional is made aware of an individual’s plans to procure private healthcare on a private capacity within the UK, those individuals are made aware of this policy and encouraged to ensure full pre and
post treatment costs are included in the overall package.