In the UK, seeing a private doctor means you pay for each appointment instead of using the free NHS services. Private consultations can get you faster appointments or specialist tests, but they do cost money. A typical private GP (general practitioner) visit usually costs between about £50 and £150 per appointment. The exact fee depends on things like how long the appointment is, where the clinic is, and the doctor’s experience findaprivategp.co.ukbupa.co.uk.
Several factors affect the price:
To summarize, a simple GP visit typically costs on the order of tens of pounds, but adding tests or opting for a specialist will raise the bill. Memberships and insurance can help offset costs.
Specialist doctors (consultants) charge higher fees than GPs. On average, an initial consultation with a private specialist costs around £195. Follow-up appointments are cheaper, averaging about £130 mytribeinsurance.ck. Different specialties vary: for example, psychiatrists often charge around £300 for a first visit (about 50% more than average), while physiotherapists might charge only about £67 for a first appointment. These prices are averages; your actual cost depends on the specialist’s field and reputation. Regional differences also apply: as with GPs, London consultants generally charge more (about 27% above the national average).
Key points on specialist fees:
Private consultants often offer services beyond just the appointment (like ordering scans or custom treatment plans), which can add to the total cost. Always ask for a quote beforehand, since fees and billing practices can vary from doctor to doctor.
A registrar is a doctor who has finished medical school and basic training but is still in advanced training. In the UK, after medical school and a couple of years as a junior doctor, doctors train in a specialty as registrars myhsn.co.uk. This is the stage after being a “Foundation Year” doctor but before becoming a consultant. In simple terms, a registrar is “a doctor in the middle of their training”.
Registrars work in hospitals or clinics under supervision. They do almost everything a fully-qualified specialist (consultant) does: they see patients, make diagnoses, prescribe medicines and manage treatments. The difference is that as registrars they still report regularly to a senior doctor (a mentor or consultant) to review their work and learning uk.indeed.com. Being a registrar usually involves many years of training: typically several years of hospital rotations as a registrar (often around 4–6 years) before they can apply to become a consultant. By the end of this period, registrars have a great deal of experience, often close to that of a consultant, but they have just not yet taken all the final specialist exams.
Heal Private offers quick access to the best UK doctors. We connect patients with highly experienced consultants, specialist doctors and healthcare professionals across Britain. Whether you need a leading surgeon, a private GP or a hospital consultant in any field, Heal Private helps you find and book the right doctor. Our network includes only top-rated UK specialists, so you can be confident of quality care and attention. At Heal Private, we make private healthcare easy by bringing together the best consultants, specialists and medical experts in the UK.