What Is The NI Planned Healthcare Scheme?
The Cross Border Healthcare Directive (CBD) was a piece of EU legislation that entitled patients in Ireland to avail of faster treatment or surgery across the border in Northern Ireland or in any other EU state. This is now operating under new legislation as the Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme. So, access to Cross Border Healthcare in Northern Ireland for patients from the Republic of Ireland will continue as normal under the NEW NI Planned Healthcare Scheme.
Patients looking to avail of faster treatment or surgery across the border in NI will be able to follow the same pathway as under the previous healthcare plan and will be granted reimbursement of their treatment costs through the HSE.
Phone 048 9068 8858 today to speak to our One2One Patient Advisor, at Kingsbridge Private Hospital, Belfast, who can provide all the information you require to get your treatment started.
How Do You Access Treatment Under Cross Border Healthcare?
Patient will be assigned to a specific consultant, and provided with a date, time and location for their appointment. This will also be confirmed in a letter by email/post.
Patient visits their own GP to have their referral letter addressed specifically to a Kingsbridge Private Hospital Consultant. The patient should obtain a copy of any recent (6 months) x-rays/scans.
Patient attends Kingsbridge Private Hospital appointment where all paperwork will be arranged for submission to the HSE. For inpatient surgery, approval is usually granted by letter within 4 weeks. For day cases e.g. cataracts, there is no need for prior approval.
The patient then contacts Kingsbridge Private Hospital to arrange a surgery date along with payment options. Payment is settled 5 days before admission date.
Patient attends for surgery and is discharged with pro forma invoice to be posted to the HSE for reimbursement (generally within 10 - 12 weeks), post-op discharge plan, and any relevant information required should patient experience post-op complications.
If you are entitled to public health services in Ireland and you choose to access those services in Northern Ireland you can be reimbursed by the HSE for the costs incurred
What Healthcare Treatments Are Covered?
Your referring clinician will be able to advise if the service you are seeking to access abroad is covered by the provisions of the Cross Border Healthcare scheme.
Treatments covered include current services provided by the HSE that you would access in a hospital or county clinic environment.
Examples of healthcare that are available under the scheme include:
- Orthopaedic treatments, including surgery for hip, back and knee conditions
- Ophthalmic treatments (eye conditions) including Cataract Surgery
- Hand and wrist surgery, including Carpal Tunnel Surgery
- Varicose vein surgery
- Day, in-patient and outpatient care, including MRI and CT scans
- Physiotherapy services
- Cardiac services
Cataract Surgery Under The NI Planned Healthcare Scheme
The NI Planned Healthcare Scheme allows you to get cataract surgery in Northern Ireland. This continues to be the case following Brexit. Cataract Surgery is one of the most common treatments undertaken by patients travelling from the Republic of Ireland to Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast.
You can access this Cataract Surgery in the same way you'd get public healthcare in Ireland. The healthcare must be planned and you will need a valid referral from a GP.
While you must pay for any healthcare that you get, under the NI Planned Healthcare Scheme you can then apply to the HSE for reimbursement towards the cost of the healthcare. You can not claim reimbursement for: the cost of any medicine you'll need afterwards nor can you claim for any travel costs.
Knee & Hip Surgery Under The NI Planned Healthcare Scheme
The NI Planned Healthcare Scheme initiative can help you access the procedure you need more quickly with surgery costs reimbursed by the HSE. The NI Planned Healthcare Scheme enables you to access knee and hip surgery in Northern Ireland. This will be the case even after Brexit.
You can access this Knee and Hip Surgery in the same way you'd get public healthcare in Ireland. The healthcare must be planned and you will need a valid referral from a GP.
If you live in the Republic of Ireland and having been waiting, or expect to wait, many months for vital knee surgery our dedicated Cross Border Healthcare Team will be more than happy to explain and guide you through the process that will get you back on your feet again.
Together with some of the leading orthopaedic surgeons in Ireland, we are able to offer you treatments and surgery for Hip and Knee replacement surgery, ACL reconstruction and meniscal repair and spinal surgery,
While you must pay for any healthcare that you get, under the NI Planned Healthcare Scheme you can then apply to the HSE for reimbursement towards the cost of the healthcare. You can not claim reimbursement for: the cost of any medicine you'll need afterwards nor can you claim for any travel costs.
Some health services are not included, for example, organ transplantation and long-term care such as nursing home care.
At the current time cardiac surgery, cancer treatments and paediatric surgery for under 14s are not available at Kingsbridge Private Hospital.
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