9am-5pm, Mon - Fri
8am to 5pm, Mon-Fri
8am-5pm, Mon-Fri
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
With Benenden Health you can relax knowing you can talk to a professional about a health concern 24/7.
From day one of membership you can request our assistance with:
After six months of membership you can request assistance with:
We do need to let you know that private healthcare providers in the UK have been working with the NHS to maximise capacity to care for people with coronavirus (COVID-19), and therefore are at varying stages of returning to normal. This can also change depending on Government guidelines. Therefore, it’s likely there will be a delay to your diagnostics or treatment appointment.
We don't offer insurance. We're a member owned organisation looking after our membership of over 800,000 members. Each member pays the same monthly price into a fund. When a member needs support, we use the fund to help them get better.
We have a national network of over 500 facilities providing our members with access to diagnostic consultations and tests. We also have a national network of 26 specialist hospitals at which we can authorise your surgical and other treatment procedures.
As we’re sure you'll understand, we’re experiencing delays in offering diagnostics and treatment appointments as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Update on our services (COVID-19)
Receive the latest health and wellbeing advice from Benenden Health.
We will share tips on eating healthy, ideas to improve your mental wellbeing along with easy to digest information on common health conditions.
Download your guide to Benenden Healthcare which explains all the services provided with our healthcare - what's included and excluded and how you access them.
It takes only a few minutes to sign up, no quote needed and everyone is accepted.
Only £11.90 per person, per month.
Most people in the UK have to rely on the NHS alone; not many can afford to pay for expensive private medical insurance. Benenden Health provides a third way because we complement the NHS. We can provide healthcare for just £11.90 a month - a low cost alternative to Private Health Insurance.
We're not a health insurance company and our services are provided on a discretionary basis and are subject to the resources we have available. In some cases, provision of service can be dependent on factors such as GP referral, NHS wait times and the type of treatment required.
We do need to let you know that private providers have been working with the NHS to maximise capacity to care for people with coronavirus (COVID-19), and therefore are at varying stages of returning to normal. This can also change depending on Government guidelines. Therefore, it’s likely there will be a delay to your diagnostics or treatment appointment.
Services we provide from the moment you join, for as long as you're with us.
This helps ensure there's enough money in the fund to help our members when they need it.
The NHS provide speedy care for cancer, brain and heart disease, which are among the areas we don’t provide treatment for. Instead we use our members contributions to pay for healthcare services that complements the NHS, making our healthcare a much more affordable alternative. We cover over 250 procedures within the following areas. ENT (ear, nose and throat) general surgery, gynecology, ophthalmology (cataracts only) orthopaedics and urology.
We have a national network of over 500 facilities providing our members with access to diagnostic consultations and tests. We also have a national network of 26 specialist hospitals at which we can authorise your surgical and other treatment procedures.
As we’re sure you'll understand, we’re experiencing delays in offering diagnostics and treatment appointments as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Update on our services (COVID-19)
Receive the latest health and wellbeing advice from Benenden Health.
We will share tips on eating healthy, ideas to improve your mental wellbeing along with easy to digest information on common health conditions.
Download your guide to Benenden Healthcare which explains all the services provided with our healthcare - what's included and excluded and how you access them.
It takes only a few minutes to sign up, no quote needed and everyone is accepted.
Only £11.90 per person, per month.
No quotes, no excess – The price to join us is £11.90 per person, per month
No exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions on joining – All UK residents can join us regardless of their medical history
No commitment or annual contract – Benenden Health is here to help take worry away. So if at any point you decide that Benenden Health is not for you, you can cancel at any time.
Price – The monthly cost won’t increase due to age or usage but is reviewed annually.
Benenden Health is an affordable alternative to private health insurance. We are not a medical insurer.
Our service are provided on a discretionary basis and are subject to the resources we have available. In some cases provision of the service can be dependent on factors such as GP referral, NHS wait times and the type of treatment required.
This discretionary approach has served our membership well for more than 115 years.
There are two main reasons why:
By not replicating some of the excellent services that the NHS provide.
The NHS already provides speedy care for cancer, brain and heart disease so we don’t replicate these services but we can provide support to help you achieve a diagnosis for a symptom which you have been referred for by your NHS GP practice.
We do need to let you know that private hospitals, consultants and therapists are working with the NHS to maximise capacity to care for people with coronavirus (COVID-19). So it’s highly likely there will be a delay to diagnostics and treatment appointments unless urgent.
All membership fees are paid into a communal pot for the benefit of all members.
We manage our funds and the services we provide carefully to ensure that we can continue to provide assistance to members who require our support. That hasn’t, and won’t, change in the face of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic we find ourselves in.
Receive the latest health and wellbeing advice from Benenden Health.
We will share tips on eating healthy, ideas to improve your mental wellbeing along with easy to digest information on common health conditions.
Download your guide to Benenden Healthcare which explains all the services provided with our healthcare - what's included and excluded and how you access them.
It takes only a few minutes to sign up, no quote needed and everyone is accepted.
Only £11.90 per person, per month.
Simple anyone is accepted for the same price, no pre-existing conditions are excluded on joining
Smart we complement the great work of the NHS
Affordable at the low monthly fee of just £11.90
The affordable alternative to health insurance including diagnosis, over 250 types of surgery, physiotherapy, 24/7 GP and Mental Health helplines
The Benenden Health way we were founded on the vision of many people joining together to help pay for private medical care to support those in need
The table below highlights how we may differ to other healthcare providers, making Benenden Health the affordable alternative to private health insurance.
| Benenden Healthcare | |
|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | |
| Does everyone pay the same? | ✔ Yes, the price is £11.90 a month for our healthcare product |
| Do you provide access to diagnosis and treatment? | ✔ Yes. You can request private medical diagnosis at one of the hospitals in our diagnostic network for symptoms for which you have been referred by your NHS GP. Once authorised, we can support your diagnostic costs up to £1,800. You can also request assistance for Medical Treatment and Surgery at one of our hospitals in our treatment network for approved procedures. Read more about the services we provide for medical diagnostics and medical treatment. |
| Do you accept pre-existing medical conditions? | ✔ Yes, everyone is accepted. All UK residents can join Benenden Healthcare regardless of their medical history |
| Will there be any excesses to pay to access services? | ✔ No, there is no excess to pay. But you will be responsible for funding any costs incurred over £1,800 for a diagnosis |
| Is Benenden Healthcare private health insurance? | ✘ No, our services are offered on a discretionary basis. We're an alternative to health insurance |
We hope you’re keeping well in these uncertain and often overwhelming times. However, the comfort that many of us are seeking is being found in our community spirit to work through this together. Rest assured, over the coming months we’ll be keeping you informed with any news, advice or material we have about the current COVID-19 crisis.
Even when we’re confined to our homes, other health concerns can still play on our minds. We’d like to reassure you that we’ll do everything we can to maintain a good level of service and provision during this unprecedented time.
We'd like to remind you that you can still request our 24/7 GP Helpline and Mental Health Helplines. We're able to provide remote Physiotherapy after six months of membership along with Mental Health Counselling Support but we do need to let you know that private hospitals, consultants and therapists are supporting the NHS to maximise capacity to care for people with coronavirus (COVID-19). So it’s highly likely there will be a delay to diagnostics and treatment appointments unless urgent.
Head over to our all about membership section where you'll find information on:
Medically reviewed by Cheryl Lythgoe on 20th July 2021. Next review date: 20th July 2022.
