Shared Care Arrangements: Guidance for Patients

At our practice, we adhere to the principles outlined in the NHS Constitution, which emphasises maintaining a clear separation between private and NHS care. As such, shared care arrangements with private providers are generally not recommended. Shared care is designed as an NHS service, and entering into such arrangements with private providers may raise concerns around governance and quality assurance.

For private patients seeking access to shared care, the recommended approach is to transfer their care entirely to the NHS. This ensures that all governance and quality standards are met.  This also avoids the NHS appearing to be subsidising the patient’s private care. Difficulties may also arise if the patient can no longer afford to continue funding private care. For these reasons, private patients seeking access to shared care should usually have their care completely transferred to the NHS. 

For further guidance, you can refer to the following resources:

• British Medical Association Guidance

If you are a private patient interested in shared care, we encourage you to first seek referral to the local NHS specialist service. Once your care is under the NHS, we can then consider taking on shared care from that service at an appropriate point.