Paying for treatment

Paying for mental health treatment at Nightingale Hospital

The cost of treatment varies according to the type of treatment and programme that you and your specialist decide is the best option for you. Outpatient appointments, day therapy, and inpatient treatments can be self-funded or paid for through private medical insurance.

Self-pay patients

Outpatients

Consultant psychiatrists will invoice patients directly for all outpatient appointments. The cost of an initial appointment with a consultant psychiatrist is approximately £380, depending on which Consultant is seen, and usually lasts an hour. All outpatient therapy appointments should be paid for on the day of treatment.

Day patients

Day therapy patients pay per week in advance. Dependent on the proposed programme, this may be anything from one group per week to 5 full days per week.

Inpatients

Inpatients are asked to pay a deposit, the value of which will comprise seven days of treatment, and the initial assessment (by the ward doctor) fee*. Inpatients are then required to pay for each week of treatment in advance. For self-funding patients, we recommend that it is in the best interests of patients to provide a GP referral letter as it can be useful (but not essential) in providing relevant medical history.

*With the exception of patients in the 28-day addictions programme.

Payment options

Payment can be made by credit card, debit card, or bank transfer, and patients are required to pay before their treatment starts. Please note that Nightingale hospital does not accept American Express.

Private medical insurance

Nightingale Hospital is accredited by all major private medical health insurers and works with many different medical insurance and medical assistance companies from all over the world.

In addition, the hospital accepts patients funded by embassies, corporate organisations, management companies, and other third parties.

What an insurer will fund and the process for acquiring authorisation for treatment can vary between insurers, so it is advisable that you check with your insurance company about what your particular policy covers.

If you intend to fund your treatment with private medical insurance, your insurer will normally ask that you get a GP referral letter. Once this is received, we can arrange the initial appointment with you. This can be emailed or faxed to the Patient Services Team.

Outpatients

In order to be covered by insurance, your policy may state you need to be seen by a consultant psychiatrist before referral to a therapist can take place. Once the initial appointment has taken place the consultant will be able to refer you for the most appropriate therapy. You will need to bring your membership number and authorisation code with you to your first appointment. We also suggest bringing the name of your insurance provider, as well as the number of approved sessions you have under that authorisation code.

Day patients and inpatients

In order to be covered by insurance, inpatients and day patients require a GP referral letter. Your consultant psychiatrist will subsequently fill in all the necessary forms for the insurance company and the hospital will apply for the cover for your treatment. Once authorisation has been received your treatment can start.

Corporate medical insurance

If you are covered by your employer’s private medical insurance scheme, or you wish to be admitted to Nightingale Hospital, a referral can be made by your employer’s occupational health doctor.

Our partners

Nightingale Hospital is proud to work with most major insurance companies.

• Allianz
• Aviva
• AXA PPP
• Bupa
• Bupa Global
• Cigna Global
• Cigna UK
• GeoBlue/Blue Cross Blue Shield
• HTH Worldwide
• International SOS
• PPP International
• Vitality
• WPA

Accessing insurance cover

Worrying about insurance coverage can cause unnecessary strain so we hope the below information gives you a bit of guidance on getting the treatment you or a loved one needs. The process for acquiring authorisation for treatment can also differ from insurer to insurer so below are a few pointers to bear in mind.

GP letter

If you intend to fund your treatment with private medical insurance, your insurer will normally ask that you get a GP referral letter.

Membership numbers and authorisation codes

For some insurers, you simply need to quote your membership number to access treatment, for others you need to call the insurer for an authorisation code for a defined treatment.

Most insurance companies provide authorisation/claim numbers. Patients will also need to provide a policy and membership number as well.

Consultant or therapist

In order to be covered by insurance, your policy may state you need to be seen by a consultant psychiatrist before referral to a therapist can take place. This should be written in your documentation or simply call the insurer helpline to confirm.

Cover options

Nightingale Hospital will help you organise cover for inpatient and day therapy care by liaising with you, your consultant, and your insurance company to complete all the necessary forms. Once the cover is approved we will call you and schedule your treatment.

For outpatient services, you will need to call your insurer to get approval for treatment. They will inform you whether you simply need to quote your membership number to us or they will give you an authorisation code to use.

Length of time to receive cover

The time to receive authorisation for treatment can vary from insurer to insurer. We monitor approvals coming through continuously and will chase insurance companies for you. But please be aware it can take 48 hours or longer if over a weekend.

Emergency cover

Some insurance companies state they do not cover emergency treatment for psychiatry. If this is the case but you or your specialist feel you need to come into the hospital straight away you can self-pay for treatment for a short period of time before the cover is received and some insurance in special cases will back-date cover. Most insurances will back-date payment.

Keep us informed

If you are having any problems at all pre, during or post-treatment with your insurance, please call us and we will try our best to help.