Published on 26 May 2026
For many people, a happy working life depends on feeling well enough to manage day‑to‑day demands such as commuting, concentrating and communicating. When health concerns related to your gut or abdomen arise, delays in diagnosis or treatment can gradually begin to affect your confidence, productivity and attendance at work.
Private medical insurance (PMI) - whether through your employer or an individual policy - can play an important role in getting back to work. For many employed people experiencing gut or abdominal symptoms, uncertainty can be stressful and it’s common to fear the worst. At Benenden Hospital, you can access diagnosis and treatment for a range of abdominal conditions, safe in the knowledge that payment will be made to us directly by your insurer.
Our article below outlines some of the treatments we offer for gut and abdominal issues, and how you can access consultation, diagnosis and treatment at our hospital through your private medical insurance.
Managing gut issues
Symptoms such as ongoing abdominal pain, acid reflux, bowel changes, fatigue or nausea can be difficult to manage alongside work. These issues may affect your concentration, energy levels and confidence, and are often under‑reported because people try to 'push through' while remaining at work.
At Benenden Hospital, we provide fast access to private gastroenterology consultations and investigations such as blood tests, endoscopy and scans - including liver scanning ultrasound - helping to reach a diagnosis sooner.
Many gastroenterology investigations are carried out as outpatient or day case procedures, allowing you to return home the same day and resume normal routines more quickly.
Managing other abdominal conditions
Other abdominal issues, including those associated with conditions such as hernia or gallbladder problems, can also affect you in your job. Symptoms may be manageable at first but can gradually interfere with physical comfort and mobility and may be severe enough to need time off work if left untreated.
Our general surgeons use a wide range of knowledge and skills to diagnose and treat a variety of conditions and get you back to your regular activities as soon as possible.
Iain Dale talks about his gallbladder removal at Benenden Hospital
I'm Iain Dale. I present the Evening show on LBC radio and I was here - oh, my goodness, when was it - the sixth of September to have my gallbladder out. I think it was about the end of July, the 27th of July. It was a Saturday evening. I'd been around to the neighbours at my house in Norfolk and just had drinks and canapés. I went home, started to feel ill, I was sick and then I had this sort of pain down my right hand side. It wasn't sort of like, it was horrible but not like acute. And I just thought I'd got food poisoning. And I couldn't sleep because I couldn't find a position to sleep in. And I just assumed it would all go away the next day. But it didn't. Or the next. And so, on Monday evening I went to A&E. They immediately said ‘It's the gallbladder’. And it turned out that it was perforated, which meant that it was leaking bile into my stomach.
I don't know whether this is the case, but I think that must have been going on for quite some time because throughout the previous year, I must admit I felt quite run down. They said they would take it out the next day, but it turned out to be far too infected and inflamed. And so they couldn't do that. And they said 'You have to wait six weeks' And then they said, well, we say six weeks, but it's actually more like 18 because of the waiting list. I was in hospital for six days in Tunbridge Wells and I have to say the treatment there was fantastic and I would have quite happily have had the operation on the NHS, but I couldn't wait 18 weeks because of my job.
So I've got BUPA. So I thought, well, and I also wanted to have the same consultant that treated me in Tunbridge Wells. So I did a bit of private detective work and worked out where he operated from and Benenden was the hospital. I just rang up and I said, look, I'd like to have it done with this particular consultant. And it was all really, really smooth. Well, I came in to see Mr Hasan who treated me in Tunbridge Wells. And we were quite clear, I did need to have the operation and then he suddenly said 'But it won't be me that's carrying it out'. And I thought, oh, well, that's a bit odd. But then he said 'No, Mr Hamouda will do it because it's his area of expertise'. I think I had the pre-op assessment on the 22nd of August, so sort of three weeks before the actual operation, and got a lot of good advice on what I should be eating - or more importantly what I shouldn't be eating.
And yeah, again, it was all very smooth. Everything was easy to understand, Mr Hasan explained it all very easily and I just wanted to get it over with. I think one of the things that strikes you about Benenden Hospital, is it almost looks like a new hospital. I don't know when every bit was built, but you walk in and it could be just a pristine, new hospital. The cleanliness is outstanding. Everything here seems quite serene. Everybody I've dealt with here has been kind, polite, nice. I've had quite a few medical issues over the past couple of years. I fell off a theatre stage into an orchestra pit, 12 foot drop, so terrible problems with my knees. I then fractured my hip. I fell over at the top of a tube escalator. So I've had quite a few experiences over the last couple of years of either operations or just being in hospital. I wasn't anxious about feeling anything or even being aware of what was going on because I knew that I was going to have a general anaesthetic and ok, there are risks to that, and they were all explained to you very fully.
Before the operation, the anaesthetist comes around along with the consultant or the surgeon and they tell you exactly what's going to happen, how long it might take. And all you ever remember is being wheeled down to the operating theatre, you see the anaesthetist and that's it. And the next thing you know, you're back in your room and you eventually wake up. That process was quite interesting in that the anaesthetist came to see me after I'd been awake for about an hour and he told me that the operation nearly had to be cancelled because it turned out to be a lot more complicated, the infection was much worse than they thought. And I think at one stage, Mr Hamouda did think about stopping. And because it was all keyhole surgery but it was so infected that he wasn't sure that he would be able to do it and then they would have had to stop and presumably on another day, I'd have had to come back and they'd have had to open me up.
Well, he persevered and the bit of the operation that should have taken about 40 minutes took two and a half hours. So you can tell how serious it was. Of course, I was totally unaware of any of this at the time. And I thought it was good of the anaesthetist to tell me that, just so I realised sort of how difficult it had been. I had no pain at all. There was discomfort around the sort of tummy area because if you take the gallbladder out all the other bits around there, they've got to find their place again so that they sort of wobble around. I mean, you can't feel them wobbling around, but that's presumably what they're doing just trying to settle down. So the operation was on the Friday, but by the Tuesday, all of that discomfort had gone, I only twice, I think, used painkillers, but it wasn't even really pain. It was just discomfort.
You can only have soft food. So, for four days I was on soup and jelly. I was like, living like a three year old again, quite enjoyed it, actually forgot how much I like jelly. And then gradually you sort of go onto scrambled eggs, sort of, but not really solid food and you lose a hell of a lot of weight. I mean, the whole process, from the end of July I was told I shouldn't eat dairy food at all. And I really religiously stuck to that. I lost a stone and a half in those six weeks and 10 days after the operation, I went back to work and I went on air at 7 p.m. and within five minutes I just thought to myself, oh, my god, you feel like a different person which people on social media told me I would, but I didn't really believe them. I was sharp. I was on it. I was just on total top form and there was a feeling that I hadn't had, should we say for probably up to a year. A couple of weeks after that I then started to go back to the gym again, made sure I didn't sort of do, too much that would involve moving sort of this area.
And we're what now, sort of 22nd of October. And I feel completely normal again. The surgery has been quite transformational in many ways because I now realise that for the previous year, I'd felt a bit down. I hadn't realized it at the time, but since the surgery I just feel completely transformed, revived almost sort of rejuvenated. I think that's the word I would probably use to describe it. And it can only be because of the surgery. Nothing else in my life has changed. So, I'm just so grateful that it turned out okay. I can't fault any aspect of the treatment that I've had or the dealings that I've had with people here from the admin staff, the people that book appointments, incredibly helpful. Again, it doesn't seem as if it's just a job to them. They seem to be really just committed to providing a top class service.
How can PMI help minimise disruption to work and daily routines
Using your private medical insurance can provide faster access to diagnosis and treatment for a range of conditions affecting your gut and abdomen.
With appointments available within two weeks at our hospital (availability may vary), private healthcare allows you to plan appointments around your working life.
Plus, seeing the same consultant from initial assessment through to treatment (depending on your level of cover) can also offer reassurance and continuity.
Making the most of your private medical insurance
Making the most of your private medical insurance starts with understanding what it covers and how it works. Many PMI policies typically cover consultations, diagnostic tests and treatment for common conditions, but may not cover specialist equipment such as crutches and wrist braces, so it’s important to check limitations and exclusions with your insurer before you call us.
Our helpful guide and video walk you step-by-step through how to use your cover.
Using your private medical insurance to access treatment at Benenden Hospital
Discover how you can use private medical insurance provided by your employer or individual policy to access private diagnosis and treatment without the wait at Benenden Hospital.
Have you got private medical insurance through your employer, or an individual policy? Did you know that you can use your insurance to arrange a consultation, diagnostic tests and treatment at our hospital - safe in the knowledge that payment will be made directly by your insurer?
Using your private insurance means that you could get seen by one of our experts within days. Enjoy fast access to any tests and scans you need and avoid long waiting times for treatment.
Benenden Hospital is located in a tranquil countryside setting, easily accessible if you live in Kent, East Sussex or London. We offer highly respected consultants, modern facilities, comfortable private rooms with en-suite wet room facilities and free parking.
You can access outstanding care in three simple steps. Step one, contact your GP. When you have an appointment with your GP, or other health professional, let them know that you have private medical insurance and want to be referred to Benenden Hospital. If you know which consultant you'd prefer to see, ask them to add that to the letter.
Step two, contact your insurer. Once you have your referral details, they'll need to confirm that your condition is covered, your chosen consultant is covered, and whether each stage of your journey - from initial appointment through to treatment - can be carried out at Benenden Hospital.
Step three, contact us. Once you have your GP referral and your insurer has given you an authorisation code, you can book your initial consultation with us by calling 01580 242521. Visit our website today to find out more.
Use your PMI at Benenden Hospital
If you have private medical insurance, either through your employer or an individual policy, you can enjoy fast access to diagnosis and treatment at Benenden Hospital. Speak to your GP or health professional or contact our Private Patient team by phone on 01580 363158 or by requesting a callback for more information.