User guide
Why use this guide?
This guide tells you about the consultants who are recognised by Bupa for the treatment of its insured members.
If you think you need to see a consultant you should go to your GP who will refer you to a consultant if it is appropriate. You should always call Bupa before arranging any consultation, diagnostic tests or treatment. You can use the information in this guide before, during or after you see your GP, although it is recommended that you do so as soon as you think you may need to see a doctor.
The guide gives you information about whether a consultant is recognised by Bupa or a partner of Bupa.
A partner - has entered into a voluntary agreement with Bupa and agrees to charge within Bupa monetary limits, or
Recognised - has not entered into a voluntary agreement with Bupa regarding fees and 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.
How can I find out about the best consultants for me?
You can find a consultant directly if you know their surname. The guide also allows you to find consultants who have special interests or training related to a particular medical condition or part of the body.
Your search will usually return a list of consultants and you can then view more detailed information on a particular consultant.
What information will I see?
The guide gives you information on the special interests listed by each consultant. Consultants provide their own details for this guide.
Where does the consultant work?
The guide shows you which private and NHS hospitals each consultant works at, and also lists any contact details they have supplied for these practices.
What is meant by 'Best Match'?
Consultants are asked to declare their areas of expertise which are recorded as specialist areas and special interests within their profile. These 'areas of expertise' are then mapped against the list of conditions/procedures selected when searching. Matching results are returned.
Using a search for a hip replacement as an example:
A three box match means that a consultant has specified hip replacement as an area of expertise.
A two box match means that a consultant has not specified the top scoring match - i.e. hip replacement - but has specified other areas of interest that are immediately relevant, e.g. hip surgery, joint replacement.
A one box match means that a consultant has recorded an area of expertise that relates generally to the search term - for example, general orthopaedic surgery.
Where there is no match the search defaults to consultants working in the specified specialty, ranked by distance from the postcode specified in the search.
What if the consultant I'm looking for isn't displayed on the results page?
Some consultants ask not to have their details listed on the site. If you contact your Member Services helpline they will be able to advise if your desired consultant is recognised or a partner.
What if the information displayed for a consultant isn't complete?
We rely on the data supplied by the consultant. Again, you can always check with your Member Services helpline to see if more information is available.
Helpful hints for searching
If you are searching by name only, try to make sure that the spelling you are using is accurate as the search is specific. An example would be where you are searching for a consultant by the name of 'Macdonald'. If you insert 'Mcdonald' only (i.e. without the 'a') then the responses returned will be for that particular surname only. You will also need to bear this in mind when searching by condition or procedure.
Restricting the distance from the postcode inserted in the search criteria will reduce the number of consultants that are displayed.
In some instances there may be more than one page of results returned - this will be displayed by additional page numbers being shown towards the bottom of the page. You can then select those pages to see the extended list of qualifying consultants.
How can I find out more?
If you are a consultant and have further queries, email Bupa at onlineconsultantsearch@bupa.com or visit the Consultants Online website.
If you are a member and have further queries, contact your Member Services helpline.