Glossary

Approved Unit

To gain approved status, hospitals are assessed individually and must fulfil certain standards set by Bupa. These standards have been developed by Bupa working alongside recognised professionals in cancer care and ophthalmic treatment. Because of this, the standards are based on best practice standards and guidelines used by professional bodies, the NHS and other clinical governance organisations.

Bupa status

At Bupa we have thousands of consultants across the UK that we have recognised to treat our members. The Bupa status tells you what our agreement with the consultant is, based upon whether they are a recognised consultant or a partner consultant.

Consultant

A registered medical or dental practitioner who, at the time you receive your treatment:

  • is under age 70
  • is recognised by Bupa as a consultant and has received written confirmation from us of this, unless we recognised him or her as being a consultant before 30 June 1996 and is recognised by us for providing the type of treatment you need

You can contact us to find out if a medical or dental practitioner is recognised by us as a consultant and the type of treatment we recognise them for.

The General Medical Council

The GMC registers doctors to practise medicine in the UK. Its purpose is to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine.

Hospital

This means any of the following at the time you receive treatment:

  • a Bupa participating hospital
  • any other establishment which we may decide to treat as a hospital for the purpose of the scheme.

You can contact us if you would like details of any of these hospitals.

Location

Sometimes consultants work at more than one hospital or more than one clinic. This website provides the details of the hospital or clinic that is most commonly used by the consultant according to our records.

Participating hospital

Any hospital which is in our list of participating hospitals, at the time you receive your treatment. This list contains all the hospitals with whom we have an agreement for them to be treated as a participating hospital for the purpose of the scheme. The hospitals may change from time to time so you should contact us before you arrange any treatment to check that the hospital is listed. A copy of the current list is available on request. For a child under 16 years old, any hospital that we agree in writing will be treated as a participating hospital in the case of treatment for that child which is not carried out in a participating hospital.

Partner

All Bupa recognised consultants have met Bupa's specific criteria in order to be able to treat Bupa members. Some Bupa recognised consultants are also Partnership Consultants. Partnership Consultants have entered into a voluntary arrangement with Bupa and agree to charge within Bupa monetary limits.

Partnership network hospitals

The scheme you chose when you joined Bupa will determine your level of hospital access. Some schemes will only cover you in full for treatment in a partnership network hospital. If you or your consultant wishes to use a hospital not in the network then you may have to pay for part of the treatment. Occasionally the treatment you need may not be available in a partnership network hospital. If this is the case we may pay for treatment at a hospital which would normally be ineligible, as long as either you or your consultant calls Bupa to agree this arrangement before you receive the treatment.

Recognised

All Bupa recognised consultants have met Bupa's specific criteria in order to be able to treat Bupa members. However, not all consultants have entered into a voluntary arrangement with us regarding fees so may not charge within Bupa monetary limits. This means that members may need to pay something towards the cost of their treatment if it is higher than the amount Bupa agrees to pay.

Specialty

Each Bupa-recognised consultant has had in-depth training in certain diseases, parts of the body or types of treatment. This is what is known as the specialty. For example, a consultant with a specialty of neurosurgery treats disorders of the brain, spinal cord and nerves.

Sub-specialty

Within each specialty, some consultants have more expertise in certain areas of that specialty, known as sub-specialty. For example, a consultant with a specialty of neurosurgery may have a sub-specialty of spinal surgery. We have provided this information when possible, to help GPs and members choose the most appropriate specialist for the condition being treated.