Clinics in the UK

Finding a good clinic in the UK

A clinic is a place that provides medical care outside a hospital and outside the usual NHS GP surgery: private GP practices with same-day appointments, walk-in and urgent care clinics, blood test and health screening clinics, diagnostic clinics for X-ray, ultrasound and MRI, travel and vaccination clinics, sexual health and contraception clinics, specialist consultant clinics for dermatology, gynaecology, orthopaedics, ENT and the rest, menopause, fertility and sleep clinics, minor surgery clinics, and the NHS community clinics for physiotherapy, podiatry, audiology and continence that patients are referred to.

Any clinic providing regulated medical care in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission, which inspects and rates it, with equivalents in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the doctors must be on the General Medical Council register; check both before booking. Private clinics take self-paying patients and those with health insurance, which normally needs a GP referral and pre-authorisation, and most will send results and letters to your NHS GP so your records stay complete. Look for transparent prices, a clear explanation of what a test or consultation does and does not cover, and a route back to the NHS if something serious is found.

The listings here show each clinic's services, specialisms, consultants, prices, insurance accepted, CQC registration, opening hours and contact details, so you can see who is nearby, who does what you need, and where people in your town go when they want to be seen this week.

What clinics offer

Private GP and urgent care: same-day and evening appointments, video consultations, prescriptions, referrals, sick notes, medicals and walk-in urgent care for minor injuries and illness.

Tests and screening: blood tests with next-day results, health checks and well-person screens, ECGs, allergy testing, smear tests, sexual health screening and cancer screening.

Imaging and diagnostics: X-ray, ultrasound, MRI and CT scans, echocardiograms and endoscopy, self-referred or on a GP's request, often within days.

Specialist and treatment clinics: consultant clinics in every specialty, dermatology and mole checks, women's health and menopause, fertility, sleep, pain, allergy, minor surgery, injections and physiotherapy.

Travel and vaccination: travel health advice, yellow fever and other travel vaccines, malaria tablets, flu, shingles and childhood vaccines, and occupational health medicals.

Before you book a clinic

• Check the clinic is CQC registered and read its latest report, and that the doctor is on the GMC register.
• Ask the full price: consultation, tests, scans, follow-up and any letter or prescription fees.
• If you have insurance, get a GP referral and pre-authorisation first, and check the consultant is recognised.
• Ask whether results and letters go to your NHS GP, and what happens if something needs NHS treatment.
• For a test or scan, ask what it will and will not tell you; a screen that finds nothing is not the same as being well.
• Bring your medication list, any recent results, and your questions written down.

What private clinics cost in the UK

As a rough guide, a private GP appointment costs £60 to £120 for 15 to 30 minutes and a video consultation £40 to £80; a basic blood panel £60 to £150 and a full health screen £250 to £900; an X-ray £80 to £150, an ultrasound £150 to £300, an MRI £250 to £500 per area and a CT £400 to £800; a specialist consultation £150 to £300 and follow-ups £100 to £200; travel vaccines £30 to £90 a dose with yellow fever at about £70; a sexual health screen £100 to £250; and minor surgery such as a mole or cyst removal £300 to £800. Insurance covers consultations, tests and treatment with a referral, but rarely GP appointments or screening. NHS community clinics are free on referral.

A private GP at £80 and a next-day blood test at £90 can settle in two days a worry that might otherwise wait three weeks, and the results go back to your own GP.