Private patients

How we help

Private surgery

We have the highest quality of medical and nursing care for children and young people. Our state of the art facilities are welcoming, comfortable and family friendly. We have both day case and inpatient single rooms with ensuite bathrooms, a mini television and pull-down day beds for parents. We also have a high dependency unit, three operating theatres, consulting rooms and an on site x-ray department.

The Alex is a leading centre for surgery for babies, children and young people. We specialise in minimally invasive surgery and most children having surgery are treated as day patients. Our surgery includes children’s ear, nose and throat, orthopaedic, ophthalmology and general surgery.

Private allergy service

The  private allergy service is run by consultant paediatricians specialising in allergy and asthma, paediatric nurse specialists and a paediatric dietitian. It offers a one stop service where children can be seen and assessed all within the same appointment.

Services available include:

Full history taking and assessment

The consultant paediatrician will fully explore the background to your child’s symptoms including their feeding, dietary and respiratory history. Following this a decision will be made about whether skin prick tests or other investigations are needed.

Skin prick tests

The nurse specialist can test for a wide range of allergens including aeroallergens, common foods and latex. Specific ‘prick to prick’ tests can be done for more unusual allergens if needed. Please note that skin prick tests are not offered to children simply because there is a history of allergy in the family.

Anaphylaxis management

If your child has a history of anaphylaxis or there’s a concern that anaphylaxis is likely, you’ll be taught how to spot symptoms of this in your child and the action to take. Training is given using websites, videos and factsheets. You’ll be given an anaphylaxis management plan tailored to your child at the clinic.

Adrenaline auto-injector training

We provide in-depth training to show you how to administer adrenaline to your child during an episode of anaphylaxis.

Lung function testing

Some children may also have respiratory symptoms as well as their allergy and so lung function and reversibility tests can be done as part of the allergy clinic appointment.

Dietetic advice on food avoidance, weaning and reintroduction of food

The dietitian will provide you with practical guidance on avoiding food allergens and can give tailored dietary advice to make sure your child has a healthy balanced diet. They’ll advise on food labelling, shopping, recipes, eating out and avoiding cross-contamination.

For children who need to exclude multiple foods from their diet our dietitian can advise on your child’s diet to make sure it’s nutritionally good for their health and growth. They can also advise on reintroducing food allergens and preventing allergies.

All our dietary advice is supported by detailed written guidance including useful websites to help you.

Private dietetic service

We also offer a private paediatric dietitian service at The Alex. This is for all children up to 19 years old and is available Monday to Friday.

The team are highly experienced registered dietitians with the skills to manage lots of different nutrition related conditions. They can provide bespoke dietary advice on a wide range of conditions including:

• cow’s milk protein allergy or other food allergies
• growth concerns
• selective eating
• weight management
• gastrointestinal disorders including reflux, colic and IBS
• mineral and vitamin deficiencies.

We usually provide two appointments. At the first appointment of 30 to 60 minutes we’ll discuss your concerns and look at any relevant diet and medical history and provide guidance. If needed then a full dietary analysis can be done to give you further detailed recommendations. The follow up appointment is a phone consultation to see how things are progressing and provide any further dietary advice and answer your concerns.

How to get a private appointment

To get a private appointment just mention to your GP or other practitioner that you’d like your child to be seen privately by one of the consultants or practitioners at The Alex. Your GP will then write a referral to one of our doctors or practitioners who specialises in your child’s condition and we’ll then make contact with you by phone to arrange the appointment.

How much will it cost?

The consultant or practitioner you have been referred to will give you a guide to the costs involved. Please note this may change during the course of your child’s treatment if there are any changes needed for your child’s planned care.

Self funding

If you’re funding the cost of your child’s treatment you’ll need to pay the estimated cost before the treatment or procedure. If the final cost is less than you have paid then this will be reimbursed to you.

Private Healthcare Insurance

If you’re using private healthcare insurance then contact your provider before you agree to any private appointments or treatment to make sure that your policy covers it. You’ll need to provide an authorisation code that your healthcare insurer will provide you as well as your insurance details.

Please note that whether it’s your private healthcare insurer or you paying for your child’s treatment you’ll need to ensure your account is paid in full.

What happens next?

Once you and your consultant have agreed your private treatment plan including any dates you’ll need to either pay the planned amount or provide an authorisation code from your private healthcare insurer.

Before arriving at hospital you’ll need to sign a form that details your child’s planned treatment or procedure and that you’re agreeing to make sure the costs are covered.

Contact

If you need any further information about private care then please speak to your child’s consultant, private healthcare insurer or contact the Patient Access Manager.