{"id":551,"date":"2026-02-06T10:56:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/surgerywebtemp.org.uk\/a83011\/?page_id=551"},"modified":"2026-02-06T10:56:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:56:06","slug":"private-referrals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/surgerywebtemp.org.uk\/a83011\/private-referrals\/","title":{"rendered":"Private Referrals"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Private Referrals<\/h2>\n<p data-block-key=\"cezrs\">When we make a private referral from a GP to a specialist, there are additional steps for you to take as a patient.<\/p>\n<p data-block-key=\"cezrs\"><b>Private Referral Process<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li data-block-key=\"1dsjf\">You ask the GP for a private referral and the GP agrees to make the referral.<\/li>\n<li data-block-key=\"1tifi\">The GP will then dictate a letter that will be typed by the secretarial team.<\/li>\n<li data-block-key=\"bjimh\">The letter will then be sent to you via post or e-mail.<\/li>\n<li data-block-key=\"6v44f\">If using health insurance, the next step is for you to consult your insurance provider and give them a copy of the GP letter. They will let you know if the referral is accepted under your policy and which hospitals you can use under your cover.<\/li>\n<li data-block-key=\"a8ll2\">You then need to arrange the appointment by contacting the private hospital directly. A list of local hospitals are provided below.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 data-block-key=\"cezrs\">Where are the local private hospitals?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li data-block-key=\"78r1v\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spirehealthcare.com\/spire-washington-hospital\/\"><b>Spire, Washington<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li data-block-key=\"6k8mt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nuffieldhealth.com\/hospitals\/newcastle-upon-tyne?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=local&amp;utm_campaign=GoogleLocal-Newcastle\"><b>Nuffield, Newcastle<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li data-block-key=\"b4a7n\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmihealthcare.co.uk\/hospitals\/bmi-woodlands-hospital\"><b>BMI Woodlands, Darlington<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-block-key=\"cezrs\">Can the GP recommend a particular specialist?<\/h3>\n<p data-block-key=\"8sdfe\">Sometimes your GP may know a good specialist who does private work in the clinical area you require. In that situation, they may make a recommendation. The practice receives no benefit from such referrals.\u00a0 You are not obliged to follow this recommendation and are free to choose another specialist if you prefer.<\/p>\n<h3 data-block-key=\"cezrs\">Does the practice charge for private referrals?<\/h3>\n<p data-block-key=\"4v2af\">No, private referral letters are provided free of charge.<\/p>\n<h3 data-block-key=\"cezrs\">What if my insurance declines the referral?<\/h3>\n<p data-block-key=\"7b8an\">If your private insurer declines the referral, you need to make another appointment with your GP to discuss alternative arrangements. It is not always possible to arrange a secondary care referral on the NHS as some NHS specialist services are limited by referral criteria. Your GP will be able to explain this further.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Private Referrals When we make a private referral from a GP to a specialist, there are additional steps for you to take as a patient&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-551","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/surgerywebtemp.org.uk\/a83011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/surgerywebtemp.org.uk\/a83011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/surgerywebtemp.org.uk\/a83011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surgerywebtemp.org.uk\/a83011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surgerywebtemp.org.uk\/a83011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/surgerywebtemp.org.uk\/a83011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/551\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/surgerywebtemp.org.uk\/a83011\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}