I was admitted to a private London hospital off Harley Street for a minor operation. Before the procedure, I discussed pain relief with the anaesthetist and said I rarely take painkillers as I have a high pain threshold. I was surprised, just before my discharge, to be given three lots of pain relief of varying strengths, with only vague instructions from the nurse about how to take them.

I was even more surprised to receive a bill from the owner and healthcare provider, Phoenix, for a whopping £25.50 for the drugs (£8.50 a pack), which I presumed to be part of any day package involving surgery requiring a general anaesthetic.

I took a few paracetamol, which I would normally buy at 30p per pack of 16 tablets, but returned the other two packs (ibuprofen and dihydrocodeine) to the hospital. I was covered by private medical insurance via AXA PPP but consider this level of overcharging to be unprofessional and excessive. How can they get away with it? SR, Suffolk

They often get away with it because they can. You contacted your insurer, which explained that this pain relief was not covered by your policy as home drugs are an additional item, and suggested you take it up with the hospital. You would have been given the opportunity to decline the drugs – not necessarily practical if you were a bit woozy post-operation.

Phoenix reiterated its policy on home drugs, apologised for any lack of communication and agreed to refund £17 to your credit card. This is not a huge amount of money, but we can imagine how extras such as this add up. As for private prescriptions costing a whopping £8.50 for tablets costing pennies on the high street, welcome to the wasteful world of private medical insurance.

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