Always nurse-led
The Lateral Health Plan gives you access to a nurse-led care navigation service. It’s designed to help you make informed decisions, so you can get the most from your healthcare options.
Run by qualified case-management nurses, the service offers personalised support to help you understand your diagnosis and explore treatment pathways. They’ll work with you to identify the most appropriate care pathway and, where possible, support you to access faster treatment using the NHS e-referral service. This may include arranging appointments in local private hospitals where care is funded by the NHS.
While the service does not provide medical advice or make treatment decisions, your dedicated nurse can:
- Guide you through the system and explain what to expect
- Support you emotionally and practically throughout your care journey.
- Help reduce delays
This service is designed to wrap around your NHS and private care. We want to help you get timely access, understand your choices, and feel supported throughout your health journey. While our nurse navigators provide guidance and support throughout, all decisions about your care are yours to make.
Access care in four easy steps
When you have a health issue, you don’t want added complexity. That’s why we’ve designed a process that doesn’t start with paperwork or authorisation codes, but with a conversation. With Lateral, once you’ve spoken with your doctor, your first call is always to a nurse. They’ll ask to see your doctor’s referral note, which must be dated after your policy start date shown on your Lateral Health Plan schedule. Then they’ll guide you through your options and help you feel confident about your next steps.
Call our Nurse Navigation Service
- Whether it’s to talk about a new condition or you have a GP referral, you’ll always speak directly to a qualified nurse.
- The nurse will ask clear questions to assess your condition, reviewing any GP referral notes.
Call us
Call our Nurse Navigation Service on 0203 432 2401 lines are open Monday to Friday 8.00am - 8.00pm (excluding public holidays), and Saturdays 9:00 am - 3:00 pm.
Explore your options
NHS care
You’ll be supported to make the most of the NHS options available, including the “Right to Choose,” which can give faster access to appointments, sometimes in local private hospitals at no cost to you.
Private care
Where private treatment is determined as the way forward, the nurse will explain what’s covered under your plan. For example, specialist consultations, diagnostic scans, or certain surgical procedures. Where appropriate, the nurses can suggest private consultants who also work in the NHS which may be important for delivering continuity of care.
We can arrange everything for you
If private care is the right choice, our nurse and specialist claims team will help set everything up.
- We’ll arrange the appointment on your behalf and confirm what we’ll cover under your Lateral Health Plan.
- We’ll explain any limits, excesses, or shortfalls in advance, to make sure there are no surprises.
Important
Please don’t book or pay for medical appointments before speaking to our nurses. The Lateral Health Plan does not cover unauthorised claims and we cannot fund claims unless they are pre-approved by us.
Ongoing support, every step of the way
You’ll have an assigned nurse throughout your care journey. They can:
- Check in on how your appointments are going.
- Help chase results or reports if there are any delays.
- Offer further guidance if your situation changes or new decisions are needed.
We want you to feel supported all the way until your health issue is resolved, or you have a clear healthcare management plan in place.
Virtual cancer support
Specialist support when you need it most
We’ve partnered with Reframe, who offer cancer navigation and support across all cancer types at every stage of the cancer pathway. Reframe acts as wraparound support alongside your NHS treatment, with expert navigation through the complexities of the entire cancer end-to-end pathway from prevention to post-treatment. Cancer Nurse Specialists and Cancer Support Managers provide one-to-one specialist care and assistance from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.
Navigating Care FAQs
The Lateral Health Plan is a new approach to health insurance for the over 60s. So we know you’ll have questions. Here we answer some of the most commonly asked ones. If you need more, you can call our friendly and knowledgeable team on 0203 826 8898. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.