Private GPs can deliver an identical set of services to those available in an NHS setting. The only notable distinction between NHS and private care, is that private practitioners have more flexibility in how they deliver care which can include longer appointments, or appointments delivered as a visiting service.
Private GPs can differ depending on:
With almost all clinicians practicing over phone or video post-COVID, gone are the days of the exclusively offline private GP practice.
Instead, practices are now segmented into “fully-virtual” and “hybrid” clinics, with hybrid clinics offering both face to face and virtual (or ‘tele’) care.
Some private GPs choose to focus on areas of special interest. These tend to be areas underserved within the NHS, or areas where special interests can enable the GP to deliver a differentiated level of care privately.
Common specialties are sports medicine, menopause (women’s health) and dermatology.
Private GP services can be somewhat differentiated based on price point and service level.
Some private GPs offer services more designed as NHS overflow. These GPs may be less equipped to deal with patient care on a regular basis and are used to complement NHS capacity.
Usually, a standard consult with this kind of service will be at a lower price point of around £50-£100 and for a shorter time period of around 15 minutes.
Other private practices seek to be a patient’s registered practice where they look after patients at all life stages and often offer membership options for regular patients.
These practices are normally premium in terms of pricing and service, typically charging upwards of £150 for a standard 30 minute consultation.
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