Hi All. Someone close to me has just been diagnosed, they have a two inch tumor. They have been advised that the kidney should be removed. I have a friend who is a surgeon (not the right type unfortunately), their advice is to stay with the NHS, they believe that the NHS cancer care is the best in the world (I don't want to open a debate about this). They also believe that staying with the NHS will provide consistency.
I want to explore what options are available, does anyone have any recent experience with private surgery, recommendations for clinics, and an indication of costs and timescales?
Any information would be gratefully appreciated , thanks in advance
I am currently 5 weeks post-operative from having my kidney removed due to cancer (my tumour was 4cm, so not too dissimilar to your friend).
I had my operation done privately, 3 weeks after my meeting with the consultant- I have company private health insurance which paid for this.
In terms of the difference between NHS and private - my case was still discussed with the local hospital multi- disciplinary team both pre and post operatively to agree treatment plan. Because I had private health insurance I had a designated cancer nurse and access to a 24/7 helpline in case I needed to talk to anyone at any point. If I had had it done with the NHS I would also have been allocated a designated nurse to contact. Whichever route you choose to go down, I would say making sure you have the support you need pre and post operative is very important - it is major surgery and your friend will need advice and support to get through it - so make sure there is someone there they can contact. My private designated contact does not have kidney cancer specialist knowledge - I think it would have helped if they had. I did use Macmillan to plug that gap though - they have been marvellous.
I think the principal difference for me in going private was that it was only 3 weeks between the biopsy confirming my diagnosis and having the operation. With all the strikes and the impact that is having locally, personally it helped relieve my anxiety. I would ask how long your friend can expect to wait for the operation, and use that to help in making your decision. I would tell them to have a frank discussion with their consultant on the topic. I would also ask the consultant whether they feel there would be any benefit to having it done privately - in some scenarios going privately can allow you to access new treatments not available on the NHS (my husband had this with his cancer), although if you are looking at kidney removal I don’t believe there is any difference in treatment. Your friend should discuss his concerns with the consultant who will be able to answer his questions to help him make the decision. Having trust in your consultant and being able to have open discussions with them is really important - it’s an anxious period and the consultant will understand that.
The other thing you need to consider is that if you go privately you will need to pay for your medication for when you go home. The painkillers are not so expensive, but the 28 days of injections to prevent blood clots was just over £140. That won’t be included in any cost quotes you are given.
The other point I would flag is that if you have any post-op issues (I had some chest pain problems) then when you discuss such things with the private hospital you will be referred to your local hospital A&E if they feel further investigation is needed. My consultant directed me to attend the A&E for the hospital where he practices, but be aware that in this scenario the hospital does not have any access to your operation notes.
I will be honest and say that as long as the cancer treatment is well run at your local hospital and you feel reassured about the length of time to wait until the operation, I would probably stick with the NHS - mainly because you will be treated in their cancer centre which will help with support pre and post op. Depending on your local hospital they may also have charities providing support services directly at the hospital which can be very reassuring.
However, if you do decide to have the operation itself privately, then you can always opt back in to the NHS route for the ongoing cancer reviews I.e. the ongoing scans to check for recurrence.
I hope this helps to answer your question. Good luck to your friend - having family and friends supporting them will really help.
