Jez - I got the results from my MRI today and I thought I'd post back here - it could put your mind at rest.
I was sent for an MRI because of my recurrent ETD (Eustachian Tube Dysfunction), i.e a hearing-related issue.
If you go for a private scan, this is possibly how you'll get treated:
MRI scanning in the private sector is fiercely competitive in terms profit margins. It costs nearly twice as much to give my cat an ultrasound as it does for me to get an MRI - with a machine costing 20x as much and 3x the staff!
The impression I got at the clinic worried me somewhat; when I looked at the lens, I could see 3 radiologists all staring intently at screens... When the scan finished, I was given a CD and ushered away pronto - and I mean pronto. The radiologists had already moved onto other things, and appeared to be literally turning their backs on me... This worried me somewhat...I wondered if they'd discovered something unpleasant and didn't want to look at me in case it gave the game away...
Anyway, the GP revealed that my MRI was pretty normal, and they'd written a report. The bottom line is that these places don't have the kind of margins one would imagine them to have (I'm not defending fat-cat private health firms, just saying it's competitive). Think about it: a million quid machine, 3 qualified radiologists, a City base and £250 for a scan that takes 20-odd minutes...
What's the point of my post you might ask? Just to say that commercial pressures at these facilities can potentially give an unpleasant impression to the patient - when in reality - the staff are doing their best not to incur the wrath of managers.