Public demand Increasing for a second medical opinion in the UK

According to the NHS  the public demand for an additional diagnosis is growing. The British Medical Association has come up with guidelines to help consultants and General Practitioners cope. The official name – has become a 'further opinion'. The MyHealthPortal second opinion service is unique in the UK in its scope and professionalism.

Second opinions are a way for a patient to get additional expert advice from another doctor specializing in specific medical problems.

In other words - a second opinion is the process of seeking an evaluation by another doctor or consultant to confirm/reevaluate the diagnosis and treatment plan of a primary doctor, or to offer an alternative diagnosis and/or treatment approach.

Second opinions can include

     Physical examination

     And/or review of pathology reports

     And/or radiology reports (X-ray, MRI, CT)

     Laboratory tests and notes from the doctor who made the diagnosis

Recently, the British Medical Association, which is the leading body for doctors in the UK, has come up with guidelines to help consultants and General Practitioners cope with the increasing public demand for a second medical opinion on the NHS.

A patient, relative or caregiver may request a second opinion should they have doubts about the consultant’s diagnosis or proposed course of treatment. The service allows patients to get confirmation from another consultant or the possibility of an alternative diagnoses or treatment option.

The medical establishment has decided to call this service 'further opinion'.

The NHS patient

Unique to the UK is the fact that the rights of the patient to a second opinion come secondary to the approval of the doctor. It is generally acknowledged that patients do not have an automatic right to a further opinion without the approval of the General Practitioner. It is the GP's responsibility to find a suitable consultant to render a further opinion. The patients original consultant may suggest a name to the GP and that consultant can then be asked if they agree to perform the service.  

Problems arise after the Second Opinion or 'further opinion' has been attained. If the second opinion is identical, the question is who will carry out the treatment and management of the patient?  Who will pay?

The NHS purchaser-provider contract may not agree for the second consultant to manage the case or even pay for the treatment. This leaves the the patient to foot a massive private medical bill. If however the second opinion is different from the original opinion and the original consultant disagrees with this the patient becomes involved and has to decide what to do. If the patient then prefers to follow the further opinion, it is appropriate for the first consultant to suspend treatment of the patient and to refer them to the new consultant for further treatment. This puts the consultant in a dilemma as they are now obligated to continue treatment, especially if the treatment is considered urgent and the patient is unable to receive the new treatment straight away.

The Private Patient

A private patient can decide who their doctor is and where and when they can be treated. Having this control can make the Second Opinion Service a reality free from bureaucracy.

In the case of the MyHealthPortal Second Opinion Service the patient is central to all communication between the doctors involved, as opposed to the NHS where all relevant information is dealt with via a consultant-to-consultant communication while keeping the GP informed and only after that the patient, in that order.

MyHealthportal would like to remind you about the Second Opinion Service available exclusively to all its subscribers. The service uses the worlds' leading experts in all fields of medicine to give you the best advice found on earth today.

The MyHealthportal Medical Specialist are waiting to help you get the best medical treatment available.

Contact us today via e-mail, SMS or telephone.