Guide to accessing treatment

Seeing a specialist or accessing treatment

You'll need a GP referral before you can use your AXA Health membership to see a specialist. You’ll also need to do this for any children under 18 on your plan.

You can use your own GP, or the AXA Health online GP service to get this.  If you see your own GP, remember to tell them you have AXA Health membership and they'll be able to refer you if necessary. You’ll also need to check your membership handbook to make sure you have the appropriate benefits for out-patient specialist consultations and diagnostic tests.

There are two types of GP referral:

Open referral

An open referral is where your GP doesn't name a particular specialist but instead gives you the type of specialist you need to see. This means we can help you find a specialist and make an appointment that works for you.

Named referral

A named referral is where your GP gives the name of a specific specialist, at a particular hospital. If this happens, call us before you have any private consultations, tests, or treatment, so we can check whether that specialist is approved by us and that we’ll cover their costs. We don’t want you to have any unexpected expenses.  You can find your claims phone number in your handbook.

What to expect at an appointment

When you go to your appointment, give your specialist your AXA Health membership number which you can find on your documents, or on a recent email from us. They may also ask for the authorisation number we’ve given you.  

If your specialist wants to carry out more tests or recommends a procedure to treat your condition, give us a call before you go ahead. Call your claims phone number, which you'll find located in your handbook. We’ll need to check whether your membership covers this. If it does, we'll give you a new authorisation number to give to your specialist.

If you'd like help understanding your diagnosis or treatment, our 24/7 health support line is here to help you, simply give them a call on 0800 003 004 and one of our experienced health professionals will be on hand to support you.