Westfield Health private health insurance

Westfield Health is a British not-for-profit health and wellbeing provider founded in 1919. 

As well as private health insurance, it offers health cash plans and corporate wellbeing services to over 400,000 customers and 8,000 companies.

In 2026, Which? surveyed Westfield Health customers who have made a recent claim to find out how they rate their insurer. Read on to see the results.

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

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Does Westfield Health offer the best private health insurance?

Here's how Westfield Health scored in our latest survey:

• 80% customer score – 2nd out of 7 providers

See how this compares with the best private health insurance. 

How did customers rate Westfield Health?

Westfield Health customers gave it a score of 80% in our customer satisfaction survey, placing it second out of seven providers rated. It received four stars out of five for most aspects of its overall cover and service. 

What does Westfield Health offer?

Westfield Health's private medical insurance covers most non-urgent surgical procedures, hospital fees and specialist treatment costs. 

Customers can choose between two levels of cover, with Level 2 covering a wider range of procedures than Level 1 and offering a higher lifetime benefit limit.  

Outpatient cover is available as an optional add-on rather than being included as standard. This provides up to £1,000 a year towards specialist consultations, diagnostic tests, blood tests, X-rays, MRI, CT and PET scans. 

Customers who add outpatient cover also receive post-operative physiotherapy, with up to four sessions following a GP referral or up to 10 sessions following a specialist referral.

Unlike other providers, Westfield Health offers immediate cover for new conditions without requiring a medical questionnaire. Plus, if a you decide to receive treatment through the NHS instead, the provider pays a cash benefit directly to you.

What doesn't Westfield Health cover?

Westfield Health is able to keep premiums lower than many of its competitors thanks to a few exclusions. 

Most notably, the policy does not cover treatment for heart conditions or cancer-related treatment, although investigations such as biopsies may be covered where cancer is suspected but has not yet been confirmed.

Policies don't cover pre-existing medical conditions, plus only include acute conditions rather than ongoing chronic conditions that require long-term monitoring or management.

Private GP consultations are also excluded, if you do not add the outpatient option, specialist consultations and diagnostic tests carried out on an outpatient basis will not be covered. 

How much does Westfield Health cover cost?

As is typical with insurance, private health insurance premiums depend on a range of personal factors – such as your age, where you live, and your lifestyle – as well as the type of cover you choose.

To provide an indication of possible costs, we used Westfield Health's website to get quotes for an annual single policy for a person aged 35, 55, and 75, living in south London. We assumed that they were in good health, didn't smoke, and had no pre-existing medical issues. 

We also got equivalent quotes for Vitality's major rivals: Aviva, Axa Health, Bupa, Saga, Vitality, and WPA. 

Westfield Health's premiums were the cheapest for both a 35-year-old and 55-year-old. It was also the second cheapest option for a 75-year-old.  

Bear in mind, though, that these quotes are illustrative, and Westfield may offer better value or worse for other scenarios.

How can you save money on Westfield private health insurance?

Compare quotes

There are several ways to buy Westfield private health insurance, including:

• Directly from Westfield Health
• Via general price comparison sites
• Through a specialist life and health insurance broker. 

Costs and cover levels can vary between providers, so – as with any insurance purchase – we recommend comparing quotes from other providers. If you know what cover you need, a price comparison site can be a quick and easy way to get a range of quotes – though not all comparison sites cover the whole market. 

However, if you're not quite sure what cover you and your family need, speaking to a specialist broker can help you understand your options and ensure you're getting the right cover. 

The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) and Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII) have searchable directories of brokers that specialise in health and life insurance. 

Adjust your cover

If you've compared your options and decided Westfield Health is the right provider for your needs, you can tweak some aspects of its cover to keep your premiums down. For example, you can:

• Choose Level 1 rather than Level 2 cover: Level 1 provides cover for a defined list of eligible procedures and has a lower lifetime benefit limit. 
• Increase your excess: Customers can choose an optional excess of up to £100. A higher excess means you'll pay more towards any claim, but your monthly or annual premiums will be lower. 
• Exclude outpatient cover. Outpatient consultations, diagnostic tests and scans are not included as standard and are available as an optional add-on. Choosing not to add this cover can help reduce premiums.

•  Find out more: is private health insurance worth it?

How do I arrange treatment under Westfield private health insurance?

Just as you would if seeking care under the NHS, the first step if you're concerned about a health condition is to speak to a GP. The GP will provide a referral for any further treatment they recommend – you'll usually need to ask for an open referral, rather than to a specific consultant or therapist. 

As with any private health cover, it's important to contact Westfield Health before you book in any private treatment, so that it can check you're covered and authorise the treatment. You can do this via your online account, the member app, or by calling the provider directly. 

If you choose to have your treatment through the NHS instead of privately, Westfield Health may pay an NHS cash benefit. To receive this, you'll need to submit a claim after your NHS treatment along with evidence such as your discharge summary.

• Find out more: Health insurance for over-60s