Sixty-three per cent* of people recently surveyed for Royal London by YouGov (2,093 UK adults) said they would like a second medical opinion if it was offered after an initial diagnosis. The survey also highlighted that 85 per cent* of people would prefer their second opinion to be face to face.
And 58 per cent* said they would prefer any recommended courses of treatment from a second medical opinion to be available on the NHS.
The findings support Bright Grey’s announcement that its Helping Hand service now includes a face-to-face second medical opinion at no extra cost. Customers now have access to a second opinion from a medical professional within the NHS or the private sector in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
As Bright Grey’s second-opinion service works with UK-based consultants, any recommended courses of treatment are in line with NICE guidelines (or equivalent) and are accessible through the NHS.
Helping Hand is designed to give customers and their families (spouse/partner and children) tailored practical and emotional support when they need it most.
If a customer’s going through a serious illness, it might be hard for them to focus on finding the right consultant to give them a second medical opinion. With Helping Hand, Bright Grey customers have access to a personal nurse adviser from RedArc who can carry out research to find the consultant best suited to their needs. And if a customer already has a particular specialist in mind, the nurse adviser can usually organise a consultation with them in a week or two.
Their nurse adviser can also discuss with them what they want to get from their second opinion, suggest questions for them to ask and be there for them afterwards to help them understand the outcome.
As well as the second medical opinion, the nurse adviser can arrange additional services to support a customer in their recovery. This could include counselling, complementary therapies or medical aids for the home. This support depends on a customer’s individual circumstances and is tailored to meet their needs.
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*Source: YouGov research, survey commissioned by Royal London, March 2015. Bright Grey will be rebranding to Royal London later in 2015.