More London questions

[UnderProtest]

Two kid-centric questions.

1.  How do I find a good private pediatrician in my area if I don't know anyone?  Also a good GP for me since I've already had medical issues here.

2.  How do I find a preschool?  My kids are 2.5 (won't be 3 until October) but I would like to get them in some kind of thing because they are driving me nuts. 

[blushing]

1. I can't answer as I only do the NHS.

2. Preschools here only run term while nurseries run all year round. You can either google one for your area or contact your local children's information centre. They will have a list of preschools/nurseries. You could also ask for recommendations of good ones in your local area by asking on your Netmums. You could also go on the Ofsted website and read their inspection reports - www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report . Ofsted is a board that inspects schools, nurseries, etc. It is set up by the government.

Edit: Anything to do with childcare for children under 5, including preschools and nurseries will be called Early Years here.

[frlcb]

Portland is the big private maternity hospital and they have a children's hospital as well, they may have private pediatricians. www.theportlandhospital.com/children/world-class-childrens-healthcare/

Harley Street is another private area - www.harleystreetpaediatricgroup.com/

[mrsukyankee]

Have you signed up with an NHS GP yet? Do that first. They may also have suggestions for a private doctor for your child, but honestly, you should get good service from a GP through the NHS.

[UnderProtest]

Apr 15, 2014 12:26:34 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Have you signed up with an NHS GP yet? Do that first. They may also have suggestions for a private doctor for your child, but honestly, you should get good service from a GP through the NHS.

We will be on our US insurance (which is good insurance). Is there a reason I should sign up with a nhs GP?

[frlcb]

Apr 15, 2014 13:02:18 GMT -5 UnderProtest said:

Apr 15, 2014 12:26:34 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

Have you signed up with an NHS GP yet? Do that first. They may also have suggestions for a private doctor for your child, but honestly, you should get good service from a GP through the NHS.

We will be on our US insurance (which is good insurance). Is there a reason I should sign up with a nhs GP?

Because it's available to you? There are way more nhs doctors than private ones. I found it strange not to have a pediatrician when we lived there but we didn't have private insurance so we just took our son to the gp.

[UnderProtest]

Apr 15, 2014 13:03:57 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Apr 15, 2014 13:02:18 GMT -5 UnderProtest said:

We will be on our US insurance (which is good insurance). Is there a reason I should sign up with a nhs GP?

Because it's available to you? There are way more nhs doctors than private ones. I found it strange not to have a pediatrician when we lived there but we didn't have private insurance so we just took our son to the gp.

So I'm confused. The nhs doctors I saw seem to indicate I would get more time/personal service with a private doctor. Other than the fact that there are more nhs doctors, what is the difference?

[frlcb]

Apr 15, 2014 13:56:03 GMT -5 UnderProtest said:

Apr 15, 2014 13:03:57 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Because it's available to you? There are way more nhs doctors than private ones. I found it strange not to have a pediatrician when we lived there but we didn't have private insurance so we just took our son to the gp.

So I'm confused. The nhs doctors I saw seem to indicate I would get more time/personal service with a private doctor. Other than the fact that there are more nhs doctors, what is the difference?

I definitely agree you would get more time and personal service with a private doctor. But why don't you register with the NHS anyway? You are allowed to, and it may be helpful if you need a sick visit on the day of and can't get in to your private doctor. We had private insurance through dh's company (not US based insurance) and in order to see a private dr we still had to go through the NHS first and be referred. It may be different with US based insurance.

[UnderProtest]

frlcb
This is where I am confused. My husband's coworker who recommended a private pediatrician (who isn't particularly convenient to our house) mentioned nothing about having to register with a nhs GP. He was also on US based insurance.

[frlcb]

Apr 15, 2014 14:12:47 GMT -5 UnderProtest said:

frlcb
This is where I am confused. My husband's coworker who recommended a private pediatrician (who isn't particularly convenient to our house) mentioned nothing about having to register with a nhs GP. He was also on US based insurance.

And that is why I said it may be different with US based insurance. I have no idea how that works, we had insurance through my dh's company but he is British so it was British insurance. 

There will not be an abundance of private pediatricians in the UK. It just isn't done there, typically pediatricians are only used when there is a reason to see one, not for general care (like a specific issue).

All I am saying is it doesn't cost you anything to sign up for your local GP and would be a lot easier to visit if your kids woke up sick and needed to see the dr that day.

[mrsukyankee]

It will also allow you to use walk-in emergency clinics and you'll be on the system at hospitals. Even with private doctor stuff, you will most likely end up using services in the NHS at some point and you'll need to be registered.