Shantosh

Dr Hemal Shah

UK GP | Medical Director | Appraiser | Healthcare Writer

GMC: 6164435

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I have spent my career moving between two worlds: the NHS and private practice. As a GP, I have seen the strengths and limits of both systems, with the NHS built on fairness and accessibility, and private healthcare promising faster access and greater choice. Alongside that, as a parent, I have had to navigate private health insurance for my own children. And as a patient, I have experienced the same uncertainty many families face when trying to make the right decisions about care.

 

What struck me was how difficult the private system is to understand. Prices for the same scan, test, or consultation can vary dramatically between providers. Some private hospitals and clinics deliver excellent care, but others fall short, and patients rarely have a clear way to compare quality before booking. Health insurance is marketed as simple, but in reality it is full of exclusions and small print that catch people off guard. At times I have seen practices in the private sector that felt less than ethical, with patients paying more than they should.

 

Those frustrations shaped the way I built my own clinics, where services are delivered in a way that is simple, fair, and transparent. But I knew many people still faced the same obstacles across the wider system: very little independent information exists to guide patients through private healthcare in the UK.

 

This site was born to fill that gap. It offers clear reviews of insurers, providers, and private GP services. It explains the real costs of private treatment, from health insurance premiums to scans and surgery. And most importantly, it helps people navigate private healthcare with confidence, so that when illness strikes, they can focus on their health, not on decoding the system.