Care at home
How to prepare for a private GP visit at home
Preparing for a private GP visit at home means having three things ready: your medicines and any allergies, recent letters or test results, and notes on how the problem has developed. Gathering them takes a few minutes and leaves more of the appointment for the problem itself.
Contents
A clear account of the problem
Decide what you most want resolved and say that first. Note when the symptoms started, what has changed since, what makes them better or worse, and anything you have already taken for them, including medicines bought over the counter. Write down any measurement you have, such as a temperature.
NHS advice on preparing for an outpatient appointment suggests keeping notes of your symptoms, and the same holds for a consultation at home. Details are easy to forget once you are being examined.
Medicines and allergies
Have everything you take where you can reach it, rather than recalling it from memory. The packaging or a clear photograph of it is the most useful form, and the list should include inhalers, patches, injections and supplements. Note any allergies and what happened on each occasion.
If you have run out of a regular medicine, bring whatever evidence you have of what you are prescribed. Private prescriptions explains what the doctor needs before a decision can be made.
Recent letters and results
Recent letters, discharge summaries and test results tell the doctor what has already been looked into and what was tried. Bring what you have, even if it is incomplete. A photograph of a recent letter is often what is realistically available when your records are held elsewhere.
If your own doctor has already asked for particular tests, have the request or the letter available so that the visiting doctor can work from it.
Questions worth asking at the appointment
NHS guidance on what to ask your doctor suggests asking why a test is needed, when and how the results will be available, and who to contact about them. Three others are worth asking while the doctor is with you:
- what the doctor thinks is going on, and what would change that view
- which symptoms should prompt you to call back, and which would mean using NHS 111 or 999 instead
- what any prescription is for, and what to do if it does not help
Before the doctor leaves
Ask what the next step is and who to contact about it. Every visit comes with a written consultation summary, which is yours to keep and to pass to your own doctor, and follow-up that needs no examination can be done by telephone or video consultation.
A visit in Zone 1, central London, is £450 on weekdays between 08:00 and 20:00 or £550 in the evenings and at weekends, covering up to an hour with the doctor; published fees set out what is charged separately. Where a sample is taken, following up blood test results covers what to ask next.
Common questions
What if I do not have my medical records with me?
The doctor works from what you are able to show, together with the history you give and the examination. Bring whatever you have, including photographs of letters. For some requests, such as continuing a treatment started elsewhere, further records may be needed before a decision, and the doctor will tell you what those are.
Can someone stay with me during the consultation?
Yes. A companion is welcome, and a chaperone can be arranged on request. A professional interpreter can also be arranged if you would rather consult in another language. Please mention any mobility, hearing or other access needs when you call.
Sources
Author and clinical reviewer
