This guide provides details on the costs of anaesthesia for private surgery by consultant anaesthetists include pre-assessment, surgery and after care.
What is a pre-operative assessment?
A pre-operative assessment is performed on all patients who are going to have a surgical procedure or operation. The reason for this assessment is to address whether you are at risk of medical issues, identify whether any risks can be reduced and to prepare you for what to expect during your operative journey. A pre-operative nurse will typically undertake your assessment as part of your surgical fee over the phone or in a clinic.
If you have a complex operation or complex surgery, you may be referred to a consultant anaesthetist who may want to see you prior to your surgical procedure. You may have specific concerns or questions that could not be addressed on the day of your surgery – in this instance you may wish to request a consultation with your anaesthetist.
Such consultations may be charged separately to the anaesthetic care given to you at the time of your operation.
About consultant anaesthetist fees for surgery
Depending on the type of operation you are going to have, you may need the services of a consultant anaesthetist. These are specialist doctors responsible for ensuring you have been prepared in such a way to minimise risks to your health, providing anaesthesia and pain management to patients before, during and after operations and surgical procedures.
Some operations can be performed under local anaesthetic. In this circumstance it is usually the surgeon administering local anaesthetic to the site to be operated on. When you require sedation, a more complicated local anaesthetic or general anaesthetic, an anaesthetist will be necessary for the safe delivery of this care.
For children undergoing anaesthesia, this will be provided by an anaesthetist who is specifically trained to look after children. Children will undergo specific pre-operative assessment, which is similar to that for adults.
Sometimes, when surgery is complex or the patient has health issues that need extra care, they might stay in a special unit called ‘critical care’ or ‘high dependency’. These wards have nurses with special training and are supervised by the anaesthetist and often with the help of a doctor who is an expert in intensive care.
When will I meet my consultant anaesthetist?
If you have pre-existing conditions, or something arises from your pre-assessment, your consultant anaesthetist may ask to meet you before your treatment to discuss things. Otherwise, you may just meet them on the day of your procedure.
You can also discuss any concerns you have about anaesthesia by requesting a pre-operative clinic appointment with an anaesthetist.
How much do consultant anaesthetists charge?
Anaesthetist fees are the cost of the care you receive from a consultant anaesthetist before, during and after a surgical procedure. These fees are separate from the fees charged by the hospital and surgeon.
Consultant anaesthetist fees are often included in hospital ‘package prices’, that are offered to self-pay patients, but it is always worth checking if one will be required and who it will be. In some instances, the ‘self pay’ package may include a pre-operative assessment appointment with the anaesthetist. It would be important to check this with the hospital when you are arranging your surgery.
If you are using private medical insurance, then you should check with your insurer that your anaesthetist is covered before you commit to any treatment.
Some surgeons work with a specific anaesthetist, others may work in teams. These can be referred to as a Syndicate, Group or Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).
How PHIN displays anaesthesia fee information
PHIN displays anaesthesia fees within the relevant surgical consultant profiles. They are displayed as a range and an average for both self-pay and insured patients.
The average fee is the middle value when lined up in order. The fees show the middle half of the data only. Very low and high fees are not used.
The fees are broken up into:
- Pre-assessment
- Anaesthesia fees
- Intensive care
Your search can include location, procedure and specialty.
An example consultant profile is below:
