Basal cell carcinoma of nose - cost of MOHS treatment privately?

Hu Lupino  Someone called Lucky Lass on this site had private Mohs surgery for a bcc on her nose.  I have had two bcc's dealt with privately by plastic surgery but not Mohs, which is more expensive as more complicated than mine was.  I had mine done at Nuffield, Derby.  Have you been waiting a year now then for surgery, which does seem a long time.  

Hello Harlyn,

Thanks for replying and for your suggestion annd information about your BCC op..Although the punch biopsy was January ‘24 the following Hosp appointment to discuss the MOHS was April 24. They are trying hard to offer alternative appointments in other nearby hospitals.

Many good wishes for 2025.

lupino

Hi Lupino 

I haven't had Mohs surgery privately but I noticed that no one yet had come forward with how much it had cost them.

I've done a search in the group and found a couple of posts from three/four months ago where one poster was told that the initial consultation would be £215 and the surgery itself about £5000 and the other poster said that the total cost would be about £8000.

Probably the best thing to do is ring around some of the private hospitals in your area to find out how much they charge.

I'm 'tagging' LuckyLass into my reply to you in the hope that she will pop on and tell you if she went ahead with private Mohs surgery and, if so, how much it cost. Thanks for the heads up Harlyn 

Wishing you all the best with whatever you decide to do.

Hello Latchbrook,

Thank you for your reply and info.. I’ll take up your suggestion and phone 2 local private hospitals re: pricing of Mohs. Hopefully in the meantime the NHS awill offer an appointment.

With many good wishes for the year ahead.

lupino. 

It would be great if you felt you could report back Lupino so if this question comes back up again we'll have a few more ideas re pricing.

Hi Lupino 

My MOHs surgery cost about £2500 in 2023.  That included a follow up, but not the initial consultation which was £200.  But this was only a small part of the total bill, because I also needed two separate surgeries to create a flap for a skin graft and then cut the flap a month later.  I forget the cost of these but well over £10,000 for the two.  

I don’t know if you would be able to pay for private MOHs and get the other work done by NHS.  The best advice is what you already have, get quotes.

And please anyone who reads this, if you have a suspicious spot, or a place that bleeds then seems to heal, then bleeds again, get it checked!  I don’t regret spending the money to get off the endless NHS queue, but I do regret waiting so long while the bcc grew, so that the repair surgery was a much bigger deal than it could have been if caught earlier.

But hey, I am healed, that’s the important thing!

Good luck Lupino, may your troubles soon be behind you. 

Hello Luckylass,

Thanks for your reply and good advice to all about getting a quick referral with a suspected skin lesion.

I've had a reply from one of the 2 private hospital in Cambridge. They gave a quote of an initial consultation of £250.00 and then for the MOHs which would be performed privately at Addenbrookes hospital on a Saturday morning, costing in the region of £6,000. This pricing did not include the punch biopsy, which I’ve had with the NHS. Currently there is 3-4 month wait.

I’m hoping that the NHS will offer something before 3-4 months. 

Wishing you a pleasant weekend and hopefully the weather with you becomes warmer.

Hello Lupino,  This is a very interesting post you've put on the forum.  My husband had a punch biopsy for a cancer on his right nostril at Newmarket Hospital.  The follow up consultation in late October 2024 resulted in his needing a mohs at Addenbrookes.  Last week he received a letter informing him that 'due to covid' [!]  there are great delays in having this procedure.  Would he be prepared to go to another hospital further away and/or accept a last minute cancellation?  Having a bit of a left wing attitude I do not like the idea of private medicine.  However, it is really tempting.  Are the details of the two private hospitals in Cambridge easy to find please? I wish all the members of the forum who have commented on this subject all the very best.

Hello Zebra,

To contact the Spire Hospital in Impington, it was straightforward by using their website Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital and using their “enquiry “ box. I had a reply within a week with an offer of an appointment, which I declined. With the 3-4 month wait for private treatment  I’m hoping that the NHS awill be able to fit me in before then.

The Nuffield Hospital in , Cambridge  does not perform the MOHs surgery, but may do so in their other hospitals.  They took well over a week to reply. 

I’ve tried to find out from Addenbrookes which other NHS hospitals they use for this op, but with no success. I’m hoping for a last  minute NHS cancellation.

Do hope that your husband’s appointment won’t be long.

Thank you so much for your speedy reply Lupino - pity you don't work for the NHS .  I have heard of Spire and on Monday I shall look into their position regarding a private consultation with my husband,  I admire your resilience to await an appointment with the NHS.  My husband is of the same mind set - he says he's quite prepared to wait.  However, with your details of private care in Cambridge I shall make tentative enquiries.  I do hope your wait won't be long - I wish you all the very best for whatever transpires.  Lots of love to you and your loved ones. xx