Stephen Warren

Referrals

• Do I have to have a GP referral letter?

1. 1. • No, often your GP will send one later, but it usually helps the consultation process. Sometimes your insurance company will want want a copy (with your permission) before they will pre-authorise you particularly if you have any pre-existing conditions

• Must I have pre-authorisation?
  • • Yes, it is highly recommended to obtain a pre-authorisation number or code from your insurer before attending for your appointment otherwise you run the risk of them later refusing cover, and then you become liable for all costs

• Can my GP refer me directly just to Mr Warren?
  • • Yes, in the private sector GPs can refer directly to a named consultant. In the NHS now, GPs are discouraged from named referrals as there might be an inequality of access to medical care if waiting lists for ‘popular consultants’ are much longer than their consultant colleagues, disadvantaging the patient. Privately most consultants do not have much of a waiting list with equal rapid access so this does not apply.

• If I see Mr Warren privately, will he put me directly on his NHS waiting list if I need an operation or investigation?
  • • No. Not only has Mr Warren resigned from NHS practice in 2015 but NHS Trusts now insist that all patients put on waiting lists are registered first through the NHS outpatients even if they have self-payed to see a consultant privately (as this would be an unfair payment to bypass those waiting for their NHS outpatient appointment). You would need to return to your GP to be re-referred to the NHS.

• If I see a colleague of Mr Warren in the NHS outpatients and they recommend an operation/investigation, can I just be booked directly for this in a Private Hospital under Mr Warren’s care?
  • • No. Mr Warren would like to assess you himself in outpatients (we all have slightly different opinions upon needs) and furthermore even if you were seen in the NHS, you will still need blood tests, any other investigations and consent in outpatients rather than immediately before your operation (which is considered poor clinical practice and disallowed in private hospitals – increase risk of mistakes/errors and consequently adverse events)! Additionally Mr Warren would not have access to your NHS records or investigations.

Fees

• If I have an excess, no outpatient cover or I’m self-funding, how can I pay?
  • • Mr Warren accepts bank transfers (BACS) and cheques but has no facility for accepting credit/debit cards. The hospitals do not take consultants’ payments (consultants are not employees of the hospital) and most hospital invoices are sent out from a national billing & collection centre. Please remember that as Mr Warren is not an employee of a private hospital but ‘rents space’, and therefore neither he nor his office are responsible for any hospital fees or enquiries relating to hospital bills. Also, you may receive a bill from Mr Warren and a very similar named invoice from the hospital eg for treatment of piles – Mr Warren charges for performing the treatment but the hospital also charges for disposables and equipment. Mr Warren’s office will advise you prior to your appointment  of the likely costs involved and email this to you.

• If I don’t pay my bill, what will happen?
  • • Mr Warren takes non-payments very seriously as it is simply stealing and Mr Warren has to pay for the room and time to see you (and thus if you cannot make an appointment please ring his office as soon as possible to avoid a charge) additionally, and furthermore his office goes to great lengths to forewarn you of costs. His office therefore pursues all unpaid bills through a debt-collection agency (who will add their own collection costs to the bill as well). If there are genuine reasons for a sudden change of circumstances and inability to pay, then speak with the office as soon as possible, who may help you to meet your payments more gradually.

Clinical FAQs

• Do I have to attend a reassessment clinic appointment (PAC)?
  • • Yes. It is now a mandatory requirement of all hospitals to perform PAC assessments of all admitted patients as a safety clinical governance issue. For some very fit young patients who do not require blood tests for more minor day case procedures or endoscopy, then a telephone reassessment may be an alternative

• Can I arrange an urgent hospital transfer or an emergency admission to any hospital I like?
  • • No. For most emergency admissions now, only hospitals with critical care/ enhanced facilities are allowed to admit usually via dedicated emergency admissions unit or private urgent care centre e.g. The Wellington Hospital, but not all insurance policies cover these central London hospitals as they are more expensive as a result. Similarly, patients who have been admitted as an emergency to an NHS hospital will need to discuss possible hospital transfers to the private sector with my office first in case the ‘local’ private hospital has insufficient facilities to safely continue your care e.g. no high dependency unit.

• Can I have my operation in any private hospital of my choosing under Mr Warren’s care?
  • • No. Mr Warren has to be a registered practitioner with the private hospital (been through all of the safety and clinical governance checks with each individual hospital – for your safety). Also, Mr Warren may deem that your health needs exceed that which is provided by perhaps your local hospital choice (e.g. you may have significant heart, lung or kidney disease which would need a higher level of care), or your more major operation may require an overnight stay in a high dependency unit. Mr Warren will advise you once he has be able to adequately clinically assess you in outpatients.

• Does Mr Warren treat children?
  • • Mr Warren is accredited to see paediatric cases in outpatients, but if that in his opinion a more major surgical procedure or investigation is required then he may need to refer your child to a specialised paediatric unit. As paediatric cases are defined as under 18 years old, clearly there will be a difference between a 17 year old married ‘child’ and a 3 year old. All the anaesthetists that Mr Warren works with are paediatrically accredited (see The Team)