Policy regarding requests from private providers to take blood tests

If a patient has chosen to pay for private healthcare because

a) their treatment is not available on the NHS or

b) they do not wish to be treated on the NHS

they are responsible for ALL costs including tests.

Private providers are responsible for diagnosing and managing the condition they are treating (unless the patient chooses to transfer back to the NHS at a later date to continue treatment).

For that reason they should not be asking GP Practices to arrange any tests that they deem necessary, and intend to use, to make a diagnosis and recommend a course of treatment. It is the private providers responsiblilty to arrange tests for patients whose care they are managing and the patient's responsibility to pay for them.