No, you can use our service as a non-member on a pay as you go basis, however our Membership brings many benefits and is the most affordable way for those who wish to access our services long term, including a 24 hour cover option. Our Membership encourages the development of a long term, well-informed medical relationship with our clinical team and essentially the re-invention of a traditional family GP surgery.
Our Members have priority access to appointments and a commitment from us that they will be able to see one of our Doctors within 24 hours of requesting an appointment, generally the appointment offered will be on the day of the request.
All of our Assurance Plans include free administration services, a free annual flu vaccination as well as discounts on our medicals and health screenings and some medical procedures.
Yes, the majority of our patients maintain their registration with their NHS GPs as well as using our services, and we encourage you to do so.
We do not have access to any NHS records or IT systems. If you join as a Member or intend to use us on an ongoing basis as a non-member and for some of our medicals, we ask that you obtain a medical summary from your NHS GP and either send us a copy or bring it with you to your first appointment. When you come for your first appointment with us you will also be asked to complete a questionnaire before you go in to see the Doctor.
Your consultation and results of any investigations will be totally confidential. We will, however, for your own safety, ask for your consent to pass on any important medical information to your NHS GP.
Yes, you can request a non-member appointment – any fees are payable on the day. If you have health insurance that covers the cost of a private GP consultation we advise you to get the necessary authorisation from them first. We will give you a receipt to enable you to claim the cost back from your insurers in line with their policies.
No, we have an excellent team of 10 Doctors and 4 Nurses.
Yes, we have 5 female GPs and 5 male GPs.
Our standard consultation length is 30 minutes, however we do offer some 20 minute appointments for follow up consultations. Your first consultation with us will normally be 30 minutes unless you advise us on booking that it is for a single, non-complex issue e.g. you think you may have a strep throat; urine infection; ear infection etc – in which case, we may be able to offer you a 20 minute appointment at the discretion of the Doctor.
Our longer appointment lengths encourage thorough discussion of our patients’ issues regarding their medical problems and enable us to provide detailed information, empowering our patients to make informed decisions.
We have extensive knowledge of and access to a wide network of specialists in the local areas and London. If you have private medical insurance, you will need to check that your policy covers the costs of seeing the specialist etc alternatively you can choose to self-pay. Please note that payment arrangements are direct between you and the Specialist; Private Clinic or Private Hospital.
We don’t have access to NHS services with the exception of Accident and Emergency.
All of our prescriptions are private prescriptions. Any pharmacy will fill the prescription for you, however costs may vary from pharmacy to pharmacy. Quite often the cost of the medication can be cheaper than the NHS fee, although sometimes it can be more expensive. Common medications such as hypertension drugs and antibiotics are generally cheaper privately.
We are able to dispense some medications directly to you during your consultation which saves you having to make a trip to the pharmacy.
We also have a prescription delivery service through our pharmacy partners, Totally Pharmacy, who can deliver to your home or place of work.
Our opening hours are 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 4pm on Saturdays. Members who choose our VIP24, VIP24+ or VIPi Assurance Plans are able to contact a Doctor 24 hours a day; 365 days a year – this gives peace of mind regarding medical issues that arise outside of our opening hours.
We operate an appointment system – to book an appointment at any of our surgeries please call 01494 410 888 .
All we ask is that you cancel within 4 hours of your appointment time (there is an answer machine when our surgeries are closed) otherwise there may be a missed appointment fee (please see our price list) depending on the circumstances.
You can pay by debit or credit card, cheque or by cash. We accept all major debit and credit cards. We ask that all invoices are paid in full immediately after your consultation.
DOCTORnow seeks to respect its patients’ rights. This includes respecting their privacy, religious and cultural beliefs, confidentiality and dignity. Patients have the right to request a chaperone during an onsite consultation or when examined and cared for, during offsite consultations, such as in their own home or at a private hospital or nursing home. This information is provided in our Chaperone policy. This policy applies to all situations where a clinical examination or procedure is performed. The choice to have a chaperone increases patient autonomy and offers protection both to the medical practitioner and patient alike. Please feel free to ask for a chaperone, either at the reception desk, when you attend for your appointment or directly with your GP or nurse during your appointment.