Why use a private GP?

Why people choose a private GP

Most people who see a private GP are also registered with an NHS practice. They pay privately for particular reasons, usually one or more of these:

• Getting seen quickly. Same-day or next-day appointments are common. In polling for the Independent Healthcare Providers Network’s Going Private 2025 report, 46% of people who had used private healthcare cited difficulty getting NHS appointments as a reason.
• More time. Private appointments are often longer than a standard NHS slot, so several problems can be discussed properly.
• Continuity. Seeing the same doctor each time, who knows your history.
• Convenience. Early, late or weekend appointments, video consultations and sometimes home visits.
• Tests in one place. Blood tests, ECGs and other investigations arranged at or soon after the appointment, often with fast results.
• Services the NHS GP does not provide. Such as private travel vaccines, medicals and reports, and health checks.

What it costs

Private GP care is paid for, usually per appointment or through a membership. Check what the fee includes before you book, because tests, prescriptions, letters and follow-up are often charged separately. See what private GPs charge for typical published prices.

Private prescriptions are charged at the private price of the medicine plus any pharmacy fee. The BMA notes they can sometimes be cheaper than NHS prescription charges but are often much more expensive, especially for long-term conditions.

Some employers and insurance policies include private GP access, but many private medical insurance policies do not cover GP visits. See does insurance cover a private GP?

What a private GP cannot do

• Replace your NHS GP. You cannot register with a private GP as your NHS GP. Stay registered with an NHS practice; it is how you get NHS screening, vaccinations, prescriptions and hospital care. See can I register with a private GP?
• Use most NHS systems. Private GPs usually cannot see your NHS record, send NHS electronic prescriptions or use the NHS e-Referral Service. They can still refer you to the NHS if you are eligible.
• Make your NHS GP take over. NHS GPs are not obliged to prescribe or arrange tests that a private doctor recommends unless they agree it is clinically appropriate. Ask the private GP how ongoing prescriptions and monitoring will work.
• Replace emergency care. For emergencies call 999, and for urgent advice when your GP is closed use NHS 111.

Using private and NHS care together

You do not lose your right to NHS care by paying for some care privately. Government guidance says NHS care should not be withdrawn because a patient buys private care, as long as the two are kept separate.

To make the two work together:

• tell the private GP about all your medicines and conditions, because they may not be able to see your NHS record
• agree to the private GP writing to your NHS GP, so your main record stays complete
• keep copies of letters and results.

Is the care as good as the NHS?

Private GPs are doctors registered with the General Medical Council and must meet the same professional standards as NHS GPs. In England, most private GP services must also register with the Care Quality Commission, which inspects and rates them.

A 2026 study in BJGP Open found that among private and NHS general practices that had been rated, quality ratings were broadly similar. It also found that 43.6% of private practices open for a year or more had not yet been rated, so a missing rating is common and not a judgement either way.

What you gain is mainly time and access, not different medicine.

How to choose a private GP

1. Check the doctor on the GMC’s online register.
2. Check the service is registered with the CQC in England, or Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales or RQIA elsewhere, and look at any rating.
3. Look for clear prices, including tests and prescriptions.
4. Ask how they share information with your NHS GP.
5. Ask what to do out of hours and how quickly they reply to messages.
6. Ask how complaints are handled.

If something goes wrong

Complain to the provider first. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman cannot investigate privately funded care. If the provider subscribes to the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS), you can ask ISCAS to review an unresolved complaint. You can also tell the CQC about your experience.

For GPs reading this

These are the reasons patients will choose your service, and the limits they need to understand before they do. Being clear about costs, the NHS GP relationship and what happens out of hours builds trust. See what private general practice is and why GPs go private.