CQC ClinicsIndependent directory of CQC-registered clinics

Private GP and doctor clinics in England

Doctor-led clinics and medical centres run by independent providers. Some are NHS-commissioned services delivered by independent organisations, so check with the clinic whether it sees private patients.

On this page: Clinics by region · What is a private GP? · What a private GP can and can't do · Keeping your NHS GP informed · How clinics are included

330 clinics listed. 133 have a published CQC rating; 18 offer remote consultations. How we decide which clinics appear here.

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East Midlands

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North East

Yorkshire and The Humber

What is a private GP?

A private GP is a doctor you pay to see directly, rather than through the NHS. Private GP services include face-to-face clinics, home visits and online or phone consultations. Doctors must be registered with the General Medical Council, and many private GPs also work in the NHS.

Seeing a private GP doesn't affect your NHS registration. You stay registered with your NHS GP practice and can keep using it as normal.

What a private GP can and can't do

  • Appointments: often longer, and sometimes available the same or next day.
  • Prescriptions: private GPs issue private prescriptions. You pay the pharmacy's price for the medicine, which can be more or less than the NHS prescription charge.
  • Tests: private GPs can arrange blood tests and scans, which you usually pay for separately.
  • Referrals: they can refer you to private specialists. If you have health insurance, check whether your insurer needs a GP referral and which specialists it covers.
  • NHS services: a private GP generally can't book NHS hospital appointments for you directly. Your NHS GP can refer you if you want NHS treatment.

Keeping your NHS GP informed

Your NHS GP won't automatically see notes from a private appointment. Ask the private GP to send a summary letter, particularly if they start a new medicine, find something that needs follow-up, or refer you for tests.

Costs

We don't publish prices, as they vary and we can't verify them. Ask what's included in the consultation fee, and the cost of any extras such as prescriptions, tests, letters, fit notes or follow-up appointments. Some clinics offer memberships or packages, so check what they include and how to cancel.

Online private GPs

Many private GP services work online or by phone. Clinics marked Remote consultations on this site are registered with CQC to give advice remotely, or say they work online. Ask how they'll check your identity and medical history, and what they'll do if you need to be examined in person.

FAQs

Why does a clinic say it provides NHS services?

Some independent providers are commissioned to run NHS services, such as urgent treatment centres or GP out-of-hours services. They appear here because they're registered as independent healthcare providers. Check with the clinic whether it sees private patients.

How do I check a private GP is registered?

Check the clinic's CQC registration using the link on its page here, and the doctor's registration on the GMC medical register. The GMC register also shows whether a doctor is on the GP register.

How do you decide which clinics are private GPs?

We include clinics whose names or website addresses clearly refer to GP or doctor services. We leave out specialists that happen to have "doctor" in their name, such as skin, ear or slimming clinics, and specialists renting rooms at a medical centre.

How clinics are included

Every clinic on CQC Clinics is an active location on the Care Quality Commission's register of independent healthcare services, as published by CQC. The CQC register doesn't record specialties such as "ADHD" or "dermatology", so we place clinics in categories using their names, website addresses and the activities and service types they are registered for. We would rather leave a clinic out of a category than guess, so some clinics that offer this care won't appear in this list. You can still find every clinic through search or by region. More about how categories work.

What CQC registration means

Registration means CQC has agreed that the provider can carry out specific regulated activities at this location. It is a legal requirement for these services in England, not a recommendation. A CQC rating, where one has been published, is CQC's judgement from its last assessment. Check the clinician's own professional registration, and the clinic's latest information on cqc.org.uk, before you book. What CQC ratings mean.