Frequently Asked Questions

In a perfect world, we'd provide our members with every kind of healthcare possible. Because we believe in keeping memberships costs down, there are certain areas that we’re currently unable to offer help with.

We'll continue working hard to improve and extend our services. Unfortunately, we currently cannot pay for:

• Diagnostic consultations with consultants who do not have an NHS post and are not registered with a royal college such as the Royal College of Surgeons or Physicians
• Appointments with specialists such as radiologists, dentists, opticians or complementary therapists, pain management specialists
• IVF treatment
• Cosmetic, breast, plastic, sterilisation, nerve, dental or maxillofacial surgery, or surgery for transplants
• Surgery for arterial, cardiac, neurological or complex orthopaedic problems or Bariatric surgery
• Consultations, tests and treatment outside the UK
• Cancer care services which are delivered by non-UK, non-VAT registered organisations
• Retrospective services, where our written authorisation has not been sought.

Self Pay Treatment

Where we do not provide treatment, you or your family may wish to fund it privately - and we offer a simple guide to explain the process.

Among other useful topics, it covers choosing a consultant, choosing a hospital and finance.

For a free copy of the Self-Pay Treatment Guide, just call us on 0845 052 5702*. Lines are open 8am - 8pm Monday to Friday.

For further information, please review the Guide To Society Services pdf.

* If you're abroad, please dial +44 845 052 5702.

If you do not understand any of the following points please email or call us

The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited (Registered No: 480F) is a mutual not-for profit friendly society owned by and run for our members.

1. Benenden Healthcare membership is initially available to current or former employees of the public sector, and other approved organisations whose aims and objectives are deemed compatible with those of the Society. Examples of such employers are the Post Office, Civil Service, BT, mutual organisations and not-for-profit organisations. Employees or members of approved UK-registered charities, co-operatives or credit unions are also eligible.

2. The Society is not a private medical insurer. We provide healthcare services on a discretionary basis, except treatment for TB, which is a contractual service.
3. Our services may vary according to the needs of the member, the resources available or over time.
4. Significant exclusions to our services are: appointments with radiologists, dentists, opticians or complementary therapists; IVF treatment; cosmetic, breast, plastic, sterilisation, nerve, dental or maxillofacial surgery, or surgery for transplants; surgery for arterial, cardiac or complex orthopaedic problems; diagnostic consultations with consultants who do not have an NHS post or who are not registered with a royal college such as the Royal College of Surgeons or Physicians.
5. Some of our services have a six-month qualifying period.
6. Service restrictions apply to members and nominated family and friends living outside the UK.
7. Members and nominated family and friends must call our Member Services Team on 0845 052 5701* for prior authorisation to make sure we can support the help required.
8. Members have 14-days from the day they receive their welcome pack and membership card, to cancel their membership.**
9. Membership of the Society will continue until such time as a member decides to cancel or until their membership contribution stops being paid. A member may cancel their membership at any time without incurring penalty charges.
10. Members may become actively involved in how the Society is run by attending branch meetings.
11. If you work or have worked as a civil servant you can choose which branch you belong to. If you belong to one of our National Branches but would prefer to join a branch nearer home, you can transfer to a Local Branch. Or if you have been allocated to a Local Branch but would prefer to rejoin colleagues in a National Branch, please just let us know. You can e-mail thesecretary@benenden.org.uk or write to The Secretary, The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited, Holgate Park Drive, York YO26 4GG.
12. If you are not satisfied with our service, you should call us or write to us so that we can learn from any problems that occur. However, if you have been through both stages of our complaints procedure, and you are still unhappy with our response, you can take appropriate matters to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
13. This summary does not contain comprehensive information about the Society and its services. Please refer to any additional information we have provided. Full terms and conditions are contained in our Rulebook (pdf) and our Guide to Society Services (pdf) or on request by calling 0845 052 5701*.

* If you're abroad, please dial +44 845 052 5701.

** You are entitled to cancel your membership of The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited within 14 days of receipt of this Welcome Pack. If you do decide to cancel your membership, you can do so by writing to the Member Services Department, The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited, Holgate Park Drive, York, YO26 4GG. Alternatively you can e-mail the Society at membershiprelations@benenden.org.uk or call 0845 052 5701*. Please include your membership number in all correspondence. Cancellations beyond the 14-day cancellation period will not result in reimbursement of contributions already paid.

To keep our service affordable at just £1.50 a week, there are some consultation and treatments and services we cannot provide, such as:

• Diagnostic consultations with consultants who do not have an NHS post. They must also be registered with a royal college such as the Royal College of Surgeons or Physicians
• Appointments with certain specialists, such as radiologists, dentists, opticians or complementary therapists
• IVF treatment  
• Cosmetic, breast, plastic, sterilisation, nerve, dental, maxillofacial, transplant, arterial or cardiac surgery
• Surgery for complex orthopaedic problems, such as joint replacements.

For the full list, please review the exclusions section of the website.

Please note that benefits may vary according to the needs of the member, the resources available or over time. The Society's contractual business (the provision of tuberculosis benefit) is authorised by the FSA. The remainder of the Society's business is undertaken on a discretionary basis. The Society is subject to FSA requirement for prudential management.

We do our best to cover as much as we can. But we want to keep our membership costs as affordable as possible, so unfortunately we can’t cover the following healthcare treatments and surgery:

• IVF treatment
• Cosmetic, breast, plastic, dental or heart surgery, or surgery for transplants
• Surgery for cancer
• Consultations and treatments outside the UK

A full list is detailed on our exclusions page.

Unfortunately we cannot provide treatment for major orthopaedic, neurological, arterial and cardiac problems and we do not fund IVF treatment, cosmetic surgery or treatment for mental health problems. Further information on our exclusions is available within the personal healthcare section of this website.

Yes. Benenden Healthcare is often used to support the services provided on the NHS or through your private medical insurance or employee healthcare plans. Since we don’t increase our costs based using our services - which can happen if you make a private insurance claim - you can benefit from them as many times as you like. That may mean saving on your premiums with other healthcare insurers. In order for us to be able to offer such low costs, there are some services that we simply can’t cover. You can view a list of those services by reading our exclusions

We'll do our best to help you when the NHS or your alternative health insurance is unable to do so. And we'll do it at no additional cost to you. With Benenden Healthcare, you're a member for life.

• Because we’re not a medical insurance provider, your premiums won’t rise as you and your family use Benenden Healthcare Services
• There are no medical questionnaires when you join Benenden Healthcare
• Once you're a member, you can extend your membership to family and friends for the same £1.50 per person, per week
• Your membership is flexible – it moves with you even if you change jobs or retire
• There’s no lower or upper age limit on who can join
• You can join regardless of your medical history
• Because we operate a discretionary approach to how we offer services, you can rest assured that we will always consider your individual healthcare needs
• Pre-existing conditions are covered with Benenden Healthcare
• Our exclusions are upfront and honest.
• The cost of Benenden Healthcare is less, often considerably less, than private health insurance