Health insurance from home
We want you to know that you can still access all of your usual services, and speak to the same consultants, nurses, therapists and clinicians, all from the comfort of your own home
With the NHS under pressure across the UK as COVID-19 cases surge, some hospitals may be delaying some private treatment. We’re updating Finder daily with hospitals’ latest availability. Hospitals are taking extra precautionary steps to keep patients safe, such as asking them to take a COVID-19 test and then isolate before admission. If you’re due to see a Bupa recognised healthcare professional, we recommend you ask them whether your treatment is likely to be affected.
Discover Bupa From Home
At Bupa, we’re continuously working to provide innovative solutions so our health insurance customers can access healthcare quickly and remotely. That’s why we’ve created Bupa from Home.
Wherever you are, whatever's changed, there are services you can access right now.
Read our brochure to see all the ways we can help you from home.
Waiting for treatment?
Helping you get ready
Helping you get ready
We have a range of services and health information to help support patients preparing for treatment and with their recovery. This includes advice from Bupa experts, across a number of clinical areas, providing helpful guidance and support whilst you wait for treatment.
If you need to contact us or make a claim, please use our customer enquiry form.
Can’t wait to see a GP?
Call us straight away
Call us straight away
Don’t waste any time in checking out worrying symptoms. Call our Direct Access service and a trained adviser will give you clear advice on what to do next. They could even refer you to a specialist there and then, without the need for a GP referral.
You can call us about:
- • Muscle, bone and joint worries
- • Cancer symptoms
- • Mental health conditions
Speak to a nurse 24/7
with Anytime HealthLine
with Anytime HealthLine
You can call a nurse or GP and get their professional advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Here are just some of the things you can speak to a nurse about:
- • rashes, bumps and lumps
- • surgery and back pain
- • vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain
- • fever, flu, cough and headache
- • medication enquiries
- • advice about unwell children
Quick, unlimited appointments
with your Digital GP
Get 24/7 access to video appointments with GPs, nurses and pharmacists through your health insurance. You can also use the Symptom Checker to get instant health information and guidance on next steps. You will not be charged for using Digital GP and it won't affect your claims in any way.
†Whilst click and collect services or delivery is free, the cost of the prescription is paid for by the individual as this is a private prescription Click and collect private prescriptions can usually be picked up within 60 minutes from your chosen pharmacy, depending on your pharmacy opening hours. You can collect over the weekend at selected pharmacies. Prescription delivery is available Monday to Saturday - same day delivery in Greater London and next day delivery in the rest of the UK if you select before 5pm.
COVID-19 Care Assistant
Helping you to spot what might be COVID-19 symptoms and suggest possible next steps.
Use the Symptom Checker and live chat feature to ask questions and get quick answers.
Help for your mental health from home
When it comes to mental health, we’re here to listen and help you get help fast†.
Just need to talk?
Speak to a mental health nurse
If you’re not feeling yourself, call our mental health support team. They can provide advice and discuss your feelings and symptoms and how we can help, and can put you directly through to a mental health nurse.
We also have expert lead advice and guidance to support you with your mental health condition, on our Mental Health hub.
Worried about others?
Call our Family Mental HealthLine
You’ll receive advice, guidance and support from a trained adviser, no matter what your family’s going through.
Your child doesn’t have to be covered under your policy and using this advice service doesn’t count as a claim. We’re just here to help.
Call our Family Mental HealthLine
†Please check your policy documents to see if you have mental health cover.
We’re adding even more services
We are always developing new ways to look after our customers and in 2020 we have launched two new ways to access care, even more quickly than before.
Rapid Cardiac Assessment Service
Our Rapid Cardiac Assessment Service allows you to have virtual consultations with a cardiologist, all from the comfort of your own home. You'll need a referral from your GP, or a Babylon GP on the Digital GP app, before you call. This is a chargeable service and is subject to the benefits and limitations of your policy. This service will only be offered if it is appropriate for your case.
Remote Skin Assessment Service
Our Remote Skin Assessment Service has been created for fast detection of skin cancer, without the need for a GP referral. This service is available nationwide and you’ll get your results back within three working days, from the time you register. This is a chargeable service and is subject to the benefits and limitations of your policy. This service will only be offered if it is appropriate for your case.
I’ve got a referral. What next?
We’ve made some changes, so you can speak to a specialist without leaving your home.
Need help finding a consultant?
Finder is our online care directory, updated with the latest information on hospital and consultant availability.
Either call us now or use our finder tool to help you get the support you need, so you can keep your health on track.
Speak to therapists and consultants by phone or video
The majority of Bupa approved consultants and therapists are available for phone or video consultations.
We’ll try to make sure that you speak to consultant based in a location convenient to you. That means the same consultant will continue to care for you when face-to-face services are fully back up and running.
Call us to discuss your options
0345 609 0111
Our pledge to UK health insurance customers during this national crisis
On 3 April 2020, Bupa UK Insurance CEO Alex Perry announced a number of measures highlighting our pledge to supporting our health insurance customers.
Your stories
Here’s what our health insurance customers have been saying about our services during this difficult period.
Louise’s story
“Having a remote ECG was actually quite comforting. It cut out a lot of worry and travel, and I got the help I needed faster.”
Zahra’s story
“Within less than 24 hours of finding a lump, I’d had the tests done and was given the all clear.”
Eve’s Story
“It was a really great service. I didn’t have to see anybody, it was COVID safe, and within 24 hours I felt so much better”
Answers to your questions about health insurance
The latest answers to questions regarding COVID-19 and Bupa health insurance
If you were due to have a consultation then you can let your consultant know that we’ll cover phone and video consultations if that makes it easier.
Additionally Our well-established Specialist Patient Support clinical team and dedicated adviser can provide you with personalised support to help you stay in the best health possible for when your treatment is ready to progress.
We are committed to facing this journey with you and we’ll help you access care quickly and effectively as the healthcare system returns to normal.
If you experience a change in the symptoms or physical signs associated with your condition that causes you concern, please contact your consultant via their medical secretary. This is important as some changes to your health might indicate that you require further clinical assessment, investigation and/or urgent treatment. Your consultant may have advised you of any such clinical features or changes to report.
You can access our support services if your treatment has been delayed as well as find out which treatments are continuing and remote options available.
We can pre-authorise your appointment. You can let your consultant know that we’ll cover phone and video consultations if that makes it easier. You can access our support services if your appointment or treatment has been delayed as well as find out which treatments are continuing and remote options available.
Hospitals are taking extra precautionary steps to keep patients safe, such as asking them to self-isolate for 14 days before treatment and pre-admission testing. Please speak to your consultant to get advice around your procedure.
You can access information on the most up to date guidance from the NHS on processes in place to protect people accessing healthcare services at this time.
It is important you follow the guidance otherwise your procedure may be postponed by your consultant.
If you’re still seeing the same consultant at the same hospital you won’t need a new pre-authorisation number so long as you continue your policy.
Please speak to your hospital, clinic or consultant as they’ll be best placed to advise you. You can let your consultant know that we will be covering them for phone and video consultations if that makes it easier. We guarantee to cover the cost of your treatment once you’re able to have it so long as you continue your policy, there’s no need to worry about your pre-authorisation.
We guarantee to cover the cost of your treatment once you’re able to have it so long as you continue your policy, there’s no need to worry about your pre-authorisation.
For concerns over cancer, mental health and muscles, bones and joints you can use our Direct Access service. For other concerns, you can use the Babylon digital GP service.To download the app go to www.bupa.co.uk/digital-gp
Please speak to your hospital, clinic or consultant as they’ll be best placed to advise you. You can let your consultant know that we will be covering them for phone and video consultations if that makes it easier. We guarantee to cover the cost of your treatment once you’re able to have it so long as you continue your policy, there’s no need to worry about your pre-authorisation.
Additionally our well-established Specialist Patient Support clinical team and dedicated advisers can provide you with personalised support to help you stay in the best health possible for when your treatment is ready to progress. You may also find our other support services helpful until you can get an appointment: Speak to a GP from home for further advice and support through our digital GP services in partnership with Babylon.
Our expert physiotherapists can offer you home exercises to help you manage muscle, joint and bone conditions.
Bupa Mental health practitioners can support you, including offering online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and remote consultations with therapists and consultants.
If you experience a change in the symptoms or physical signs associated with your condition that causes you concern, please contact your consultant via their medical secretary. This is important as some changes to your health might indicate that you require further clinical assessment, investigation and/or urgent treatment. Your consultant may have advised you of any such clinical features or changes to report.
If you have the name of consultant you have been referred to you will need to contact Bupa. We will check eligibility and we can pre-authorise your appointment for your new consultant.
You can let your new consultant know that we’ll cover phone and video consultations if that makes it easier. In the meantime, if you are waiting to see a new consultant, you may wish to look up resources about the condition that the referring consultant believes needs addressing by a different specialist on the Bupa health site. Find out more
Additionally you may find our other support services helpful until you can get an appointment. Find out more
Your GP can also help support you whilst you are waiting for your next consultant appointment
We know this will be a stressful time for people and that isolation may impact on overall mental wellbeing, as well as exacerbating underlying mental health conditions. We’ve seen an increase in requests for mental health support and are expanding our capacity – including remote consultations and on-line cognitive behavioural therapy. Customers can also use our Bupa’s Direct Access service, removing the need for a GP appointment. Our Family Mental Healthline is open for parents and carers to talk to us about their child’s emotional wellbeing. The online Bupa Mental Health resource hub has a wide range of support materials and is being regularly updated with relevant content.
Public Health England, the EU and the US Food and Drug Administration have now given approval on the accuracy of at least two antibody tests to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which can indicate that an individual has previously been infected with the virus and their body has mounted an immune response. The World Health Organisation and the UK’s Chief Scientific Officer have however indicated that there is still no evidence that the presence of antibodies to the virus can give certainty to an individual that they will have immunity, how long this immunity will last, or if they will be able to catch it again in the future. Whilst Bupa is therefore not currently endorsing the use of antibody tests as part of an organisation’s return to office strategy, we do appreciate that individuals may want to take an antibody test to understand whether they’ve had COVID-19 for their own personal health interest. We therefore want to make sure we are giving individuals access to approved tests they can trust. For this reason, Bupa Health Clinics (UK) will offer the antibody test in clinics to customers. This will allow an individual to establish whether they have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the past. However, we must underline that under current health guidance the test will not provide any information on the individual’s immunity. The result should not be used to make any clinical or return to office decisions but will simply let the individual know whether they have previously been infected with the virus. Given the latest MHRA investigation into the validity of home testing for antibody status, Bupa does not currently advocate the use of this. Bupa Health Clinics will also be offering an antigen (nasal and throat swab) testing service which detects active infection with SARS-CoV-2. This will be offered to business customers first and can be used as part of a screening regime for businesses, including temperature checks and return to work assessments, to allow the safe return of their employees to the workplace. Our existing private health insurance policies don’t cover these tests to screen for, or diagnose a suspected case of, COVID-19. However, we will fund an antigen (nasal and throat swab) test where it is needed as part of pre-operative/pre-treatment assessment for treatment covered by the patient’s policy. We understand the information on testing is changing rapidly and we continue to monitor developments and update the latest advice we provide to our customers, as well as our own return to work strategy.
To ensure that we’re supporting our customers who are being treated for COVID-19, we will pay a Cash Benefit to our customers where this is included in their policy. When there’s a pandemic (like COVID-19) in the UK, the NHS and Public Health England coordinate all cases and manage all resources. It’s very important it’s done this way so that the Government can continuously monitor, assess and manage the situation. In addition, we’re covering treatment for mental health conditions relating to COVID-19. We’re giving our customers fast access to expert advice through our digital GP services, Anytime Healthline and Family Mental Healthline. We have written to all Bupa recognised consultants to let them know that they can offer their Bupa patients telephone and video consultations, where they are medically appropriate, to help patients avoid exposure to the virus.
Need to contact us, or make a claim?
We aim to do everything we can to make claiming as simple and straightforward as it can be. Please use the below link to access our customer enquiry form. If you’ve received hospital treatment for COVID-19, please use this form to submit your claim for COVID-19 cash benefit. If your policy covers this, we’ll pay you the benefit and if not, we’ll use your preferred method of contact to let you know.
The situation with coronavirus (COVID-19) is continuously changing. To ensure you have the latest information, advice and guidance explore these external links and resources.
World Health Organization
Read the latest updates from the World Health Organization (WHO)
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
UK Government
Find out more about the UK Government response from Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response
NHS England
Read NHS information about how coronavirus is spread and how to avoid catching or spreading germs.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Travel information
If you are looking for information on how the coronavirus outbreak may affect your travel plans, please follow the guidance of the Foreign and Commonwealth office.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus
Get advice about travelling abroad, including the latest information on coronavirus, safety and security, entry requirements and travel warnings.
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
For the latest situation reports, and a map of affected areas see the latest from the
World Health Organization.
^Lines are open 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am – 4pm Saturday. We may record or monitor our calls.
Bupa Anytime HealthLine, Family Mental HealthLine and Digital GP are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Anytime HealthLine is provided by Bupa Occupational Health Limited. Registered in England and Wales No. 631336. Registered office: 1 Angel Court, London, EC2R 7HJ. Anytime HealthLine is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Digital GP services are provided by Babylon Healthcare Services Limited. Registered in England and Wales No. 09229684. Registered office: 60 Sloane Avenue, London SW3 3DD.
Bupa health insurance, dental insurance, cash plan and travel insurance are provided by Bupa Insurance Limited. Registered in England and Wales No.3956433. Bupa Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Arranged and administered by Bupa Insurance Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales No. 3829851.
