Considering Surgery Abroad? (Read this first!)
If you choose to have private surgery outside of the NHS and the UK (i.e. you are not referred by an NHS organisation) it is highly likely that the NHS (including your GP surgery) will NOT be able to carry out any related follow-up testing, monitoring or complication management (other than emergency care) once you are back in the UK. It is the individual responsibility to ensure that appropriate non-NHS follow up care is in place for your return to the UK.
It is not the responsibility of a general practice to provide follow-up to private surgery which has been carried out abroad. The NHS does not fund the follow-up to private surgery abroad and therefore GP Practices are not funded to provide this follow up care.
NHS clinicians would not have the backup or support from the surgeon or specialists as they do under an NHS referral and this after care would be outside of the expertise of a general practitioner. The GMC ‘Good Medical Practice’ states that GPs should remain within the limits of their competence.
Additionally, the medical insurance provider MDU states that a UK based GP would leave themselves open to criticism by relying on advice from a specialist based overseas. Overseas providers are not subject to the same regulatory requirements as Doctors in the UK, work to different guidelines and there also might be language barriers which make shared care inappropriate and unsafe.
We would strongly recommend you discuss your decision with your GP before committing to a package of care abroad.
Some useful information may be found here:
Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System Advice
https://improvinglivesnw.org.uk/our-work/healthier-communities/information-for-patients-considering-privately-funded-treatment-abroad/
Going Abroad for Treatment (NHS link)
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/going-abroad-for-treatment/going-abroad-for-medical-treatment/
Treatment Abroad Checklist (NHS link)
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/going-abroad-for-treatment/treatment-abroad-checklist/
Going abroad for medical treatment (NHS link)
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/going-abroad-for-treatment/going-abroad-for-medical-treatment/