A more affordable alternative to Private Medical Insurance

The NHS is under more pressure than ever before. In July 2024 there were 7.57 million people on the waiting list for hospital treatment, the highest since records began in 2007.

Our Private Health Insurance gives you prompt diagnosis, referral and fast access to private treatment for covered conditions, with an affordable price tag.

How it works

Visit your GP, who will refer you to a specialist

Call our dedicated PHI team who will work with you throughout your claim

Providing your claim is eligible, you arrange the date for the procedure and receive treatment as a private patient

We consult with your chosen hospital and pay all the bills directly. If you choose to have NHS treatment, we pay a cash benefit directly to you.

How much does it cost?

Prices are calculated based on age and, for a 45 year old, they start from just £7.43 a month for Level 1 cover and £20.44 for Level 2, without outpatient benefit.

Traditional Private Medical Insurance (PMI) that covers cancer and heart can be expensive, and high costs can add worry to an already stressful time when you’re waiting for surgery.

We believe that good health cover should be accessible to all.

  • No price increase for claiming
  • No medical history - we don’t ask if you smoke
  • All bills settled directly with the hospital
  • Immediate cover for new conditions

Skip the queue

Skip the queue

Avoid the pain and stress associated with typical NHS waiting times.

Straightforward premiums

Straightforward premiums

The price you pay isn’t affected by your location or number of claims, and no medical is required.

Immediate cover for new conditions

Immediate cover for new conditions

You’re covered for new conditions from the moment your cover starts.

All bills settled directly

All bills settled directly

We settle all bills directly with the hospital so you’re never out of pocket.

Choose from any UK hospital

Choose from any UK hospital

Where a fixed price package is available. Choose your most convenient hospital or treatment centre.

Dedicated case management team

Dedicated case management team

Your case management team will guide and support you through the process.

How is it different to traditional Private Medical Insurance?

We don’t cover heart disease or cancer related conditions

We don’t cover heart disease or cancer related conditions

They’re areas prioritised by the NHS, and it helps keep your premium low.

No penalty for claiming

No penalty for claiming

Your premium will not increase if you make a claim.

No medical history

No medical history

We don’t ask for a medical history, or if you smoke.

NHS Benefit

NHS Benefit

If you choose to have NHS treatment we'll pay a cash benefit direct to you.

Tailor your cover with optional outpatient care

Cost of private treatment and nhs waiting times

With Private Health Insurance you can choose from two levels of cover to suit your budget. Level 2 covers more procedures than Level 1 and includes a higher maximum benefit over the policy lifetime.

Click here for more information on the difference between cover levels.

On both levels, you can also choose to add £1,000 of outpatient care. This will increase the monthly premium but cover things like:

To keep this cost increase to a minimum you can choose to add a £100 excess, which is only payable on outpatient care.

How could Private Health Insurance help you?

PHI provides fast access to gynaecological operation
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PHI provides fast access to gynaecological operation

“I used my Westfield Health Cash Plan to fund an initial diagnostic consultation at a fertility clinic which fast tracked me for treatment. They identified I needed a gynae operation and was advised the NHS waiting list was at least 9-12 months, possibly longer. Not only was the issue affecting my wellbeing but it was also delaying us trying to start our family.

Using my Private Health Insurance policy I was able to get my operation the following week so I could access NHS fertility treatment as soon as possible. We were very lucky that it was a success and we now have a lovely baby girl!”

Westfield Health customer

Archive photo

Successful ACL surgery with Shane’s policy
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Successful ACL surgery with Shane’s policy

“Unfortunately I suffered a serious sports injury, rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in my knee. After spending hours in A&E, I saw a consultant and later booked in for an X-ray and MRI scan.

I contacted Westfield Health and was admitted to Claremont Private Hospital in Sheffield within two weeks.

The Private Health Insurance team at Westfield Health were superb. The process was very speedy and they kept in regular contact. Going private wouldn’t have been an option if it wasn’t for my health cover. I didn’t have to worry about anything.”

Shane Young
Sheffield

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Quick diagnosis gives peace of mind
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Quick diagnosis gives peace of mind

“I saw a consultant and was shocked when she said that I might have cancer. I had an MRI scan within days and was then referred for a private biopsy through my Private Health Insurance. I knew my policy covered cancer diagnosis but not treatment.

Thankfully, I was given the all clear. I was so relieved to get the diagnosis so quickly. The total costs exceeded £6,000 which I just could not have afforded, thank you Westfield Health!”

Westfield Health customer

Archive photo

Steve quickly gets back to full fitness
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Steve quickly gets back to full fitness

“Steve twisted his knee whilst playing rugby with friends and was still experiencing pain weeks after. His GP referred him to a specialist Consultant and further investigations showed that he needed keyhole surgery to repair his internal knee ligaments.

Thanks to Steve’s Private Health Insurance, arranging treatment was one less thing to worry about. His case manager arranged his treatment package and it occurred quickly, in the comfort of a local, private hospital.”

Archive photo

Get your quote today

Enter your details to get your quote for fast access to private treatment. You'll be covered for new conditions as soon as your cover starts. If you still have questions, read our FAQs.

Key features

  • Covers most surgical procedures, except heart or cancer related treatment
  • Access to prompt private treatment at a hospital or treatment centre of your choice
  • £1,000 optional outpatient benefit to pay for specialist consultations, diagnostic tests and scans
  • Post-operative physiotherapy (when you select the outpatient benefit)
  • No medical is required
  • Immediate cover for new conditions
  • We will explain the full details of the private treatment package, so that you know exactly what is included
  • Choose from a wide range of private and NHS hospitals
  • It pays a cash benefit if you choose the NHS option
  • 3 surgical procedures covered per year, up to a maximum of £250,000 during the lifetime of cover

What we don’t cover

  • Treatment related to cancer or heart disease (although cancer-related surgical procedures are excluded, we'll cover you when cancer is suspected but not yet confirmed i.e. biopsies)
  • Pre-existing medical conditions are not covered until you've had no symptoms, treatment or advice for two consecutive years from the date your cover starts
  • We only cover surgical procedures for acute conditions, chronic conditions are excluded

Straightforward premiums

Dedicated case management team

Donated to the NHS and other charities

4.2 star Trustpilot rating

Secure purchase process

Cover at a glance

Private Health
Insurance Level 1

Private Health
Insurance Level 2

Immediate cover for new conditions
Maximum benefit during lifetime of cover

£100k

£250k

Number of surgical procedures per policy year

3

3

Optional £1,000 outpatient benefit
Optional £100 excess (only payable on outpatient benefit)
Number of surgical procedures covered Over 60 of the most common procedures* All procedures excluding heart and cancer*

* Please refer to the plan guide, Section 10 Policy Exclusions for details of treatment that the plan does not cover

By entering a few details and choosing whether or not to outpatient benefit and an excess you can find the price and cover to suit you. If you still have questions, please read our FAQs.

Get your quote now

Frequently asked questions

To keep the cost of your policy down further, you can choose to add an optional £100 excess to the outpatient benefit.

There is no excess to pay on the rest of the policy, and no option to add one.

If you choose the Outpatient benefit, you’ll be covered for up to £1,000 of outpatient services in each 12 month period to pay for:

  • Specialist consultations
  • Diagnostic tests, such as x-rays, blood tests and ultrasounds
  • MRI, CT and PET scans

Post-operative physiotherapy

By choosing the Outpatient benefit, you’ll also benefit from post-operative physiotherapy, which would be in addition to any physiotherapy provided by the hospital as part of your surgery package.

So, if you’re referred for physiotherapy after your surgery or procedure, we’ll cover you for post-operative physiotherapy. We’ll pay for up to 4 sessions if you’re referred by a GP and up to 10 sessions if you’re referred by a medical specialist.

The cost of these sessions doesn’t come from the £1,000 outpatient benefit pot. However, if this is your first outpatient claim of the year, and you have an excess on your policy, the excess is applied. This means that you would have to pay for the first £100 of physiotherapy.

This would be an unusual scenario though, as it’s likely that you would have made an outpatient claim before your surgery.

We don’t cover pre-existing conditions. To keep the cost of our policies down, we don’t cover heart or cancer related procedures, as these are areas the NHS prioritises. We will cover medical procedures when cancer is suspected but not confirmed e.g. biopsies.

We also don’t cover travel expenses to and from the hospital or treatment centre, or the cost of a private ambulance; Physiotherapy, psychiatry and specialist consultations relating to mental health; cosmetic surgery procedures; or procedures which solely involve needle injections.

Inclusions and exclusions vary between policy levels. For a full list, please read the plan guide of your chosen policy.

The claims process is slightly different depending on the cover level and benefits you choose. To start, you should always go to see your GP and at the point they refer you to a specialist just give our dedicated team a call to discuss your options. Detailed information on the claims process will be provided in your plan guide.

Pre-existing medical conditions are not covered until you’ve had no symptoms, treatment or advice for two consecutive years from the date your cover starts.

Yes, you have the right to cancel at any time. Your policy contains a 14-day cooling off period from the date we accept your application. If you change your mind during this time, providing that you have not made or intend to make a claim, we will refund your full premium. However, if you cancel after this period we will not refund any premiums paid, and if you have made a claim you will be required to pay the annual premium in full.

With each fixed-price treatment package, inclusions will differ depending on the procedure required.

What remains the same is our commitment to providing harder working health cover.

The package would typically include:

  • The consultant surgeon/physician fees
  • The anaesthetist fees
  • The private hospital charges relating to
    • pre admission tests
    • the operating theatre
    • accommodation either as an in-patient or day case
    • personal meals
    • drugs and dressings
    • in-patient tests
  • The cost of treating any surgical complications
    relating to the treatment that occur during the operation whilst in
    hospital or within 30 days of your original surgical procedure.
    (Surgical complications that arise more than 30 days after your
    operation will only be covered if they qualify as a separate surgical
    procedure, and will be treated as a separate claim).

A surgical or medical procedure for Private Health Insurance level 2 is defined as an intervention carried out by a medical specialist in a hospital/treatment centre involving one of the following:

  • A general anaesthetic
  • A regional or local anaesthetic in conjunction with an incision involving a surgical knife
  • An Endoscopic procedure

Surgical or medical procedures for Private Health Insurance level 1 can be found in the list of accepted operations.

The surgical procedures covered by this policy are listed in the schedule of procedures that is available to download at www.westfieldhealth.com/operationslist.

Please refer to the plan guide, Section 10, Policy Exclusions for details of treatment that the plan does not cover.

Read the full plan guide of your chosen policy for full terms and conditions

Statement of Demands and Needs

Need more help?

Why Westfield Health?

At Westfield Health, we’ve been helping to improve the health of the nation since 1919, and today serve almost 400,000 customers across the UK.

We want to help everyone lead healthier lives, which is why we developed our Private Health Insurance. It’s designed to help relieve pressure on NHS waiting lists. It will help more people to access non-urgent surgery quickly and at an affordable price.

It’s different from Private Medical Insurance. To help keep the costs lower, our cover excludes heart and cancer care cover - these are areas which the NHS already prioritises.

You can also rest assured that your monthly premiums are well spent. We’re a not for profit organisation and over the last 20 years alone we’ve donated over £15m to the NHS and health and wellbeing charities.

Happy Health Cash Plan customer

Contact our customer care team

  • Ask us a question
  • Find out more about what’s covered
  • Discuss your quote

Useful resources

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The changing healthcare landscape and how we’re evolving

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