Get answers to your Harrogate Private GP questions:

Many patients choose a private GP because they would like more time to discuss their concerns, greater continuity, and easier access to appointments.

At Harrogate Private GP, appointments are designed to give you time to talk through your health properly. Your GP can assess your concerns, examine you where appropriate, discuss treatment options, arrange investigations or referrals if needed, and agree a clear management plan with you.

Private GP care may be helpful if you would like:

• A longer appointment with time to discuss your concerns in detail

• Continuity with the same GP where possible

• A face-to-face appointment in a calm, discreet clinic setting

• Support with ongoing or multiple health concerns

• A medication review, annual health check or preventative health advice

• Private prescriptions, blood tests, investigations or referrals where clinically appropriate

• Communication with your NHS GP or other healthcare providers, with your consent

Private GP care does not replace emergency or urgent NHS services, and it may not be the right option for every situation. If we feel another service is more appropriate for your needs, we will explain this and help signpost you where we can.Many patients choose a private GP because they would like more time to discuss their concerns, greater continuity, and easier access to appointments.

At Harrogate Private GP, appointments are designed to give you time to talk through your health properly. Your GP can assess your concerns, examine you where appropriate, discuss treatment options, arrange investigations or referrals if needed, and agree a clear management plan with you.

Private GP care may be helpful if you would like:

• A longer appointment with time to discuss your concerns in detail

• Continuity with the same GP where possible

• A face-to-face appointment in a calm, discreet clinic setting

• Support with ongoing or multiple health concerns

• A medication review, annual health check or preventative health advice

• Private prescriptions, blood tests, investigations or referrals where clinically appropriate

• Communication with your NHS GP or other healthcare providers, with your consent

Private GP care does not replace emergency or urgent NHS services, and it may not be the right option for every situation. If we feel another service is more appropriate for your needs, we will explain this and help signpost you where we can.

Yes. Home visits remain available on request where clinically appropriate and subject to availability.

Harrogate Private GP now offers face-to-face appointments from our clinic at Winters Barn, near Follifoot. Our clinic allows us to provide care in a calm, professional setting with access to appropriate equipment, examination facilities and investigations.

Home visits may still be suitable where it is difficult for a patient to attend the clinic, where a home assessment is clinically more appropriate, or where this has been agreed as part of their care.

Please contact us to discuss whether a clinic appointment or home visit would be most appropriate for your needs.

You do need to remain registered with your usual GP. This ensures you don’t miss out on screening tests, reviews and offers of immunisation. You can have part of your care with a private GP as you wish providing this is appropriate to do so. We will ensure your GP is kept informed of things and liaise with them directly. One of the aims of Harrogate Private GP is to try and reduce some of the pressure on your NHS GP as well and NOT increase their workload.

It remains within the NHS constitution that if you are entitled to a test on the NHS or investigation a private GP can arrange this for you without requesting your usual NHS GP to do this. Locally, however, this is not currently possible. We are working on this for our patients. At present we can offer private testing at competitive rates direct with laboratories.

We aim to offer the highest standard of clinical care at Harrogate Private GP and as such we follow national guidelines on clinical tests and investigations. You can discuss any questions you have about tests and investigations at your appointment.

We are not able to offer any tests or investigations without an appointment first to discuss your particular health needs.

Should you wish for a test or investigation that is not routinely offered or would not be indicated for your health needs this may be offered privately - however this would require discussion with your private clinician at the time of the request

Private GPs are able to refer into the NHS if a referral would be indicated for that need had you seen an NHS GP. We are able to refer to Harrogate Hospital for both routine and two week (urgent) referrals.

If you wish this to be a private referral we are also able to request this and this can be discussed at the time. Obviously most private referrals usually are faster and you can generally choose the clinician you see. If an NHS referral is not appropriate your private GP will discuss this with you and offer a private referral as appropriate.

If you are struggling to find an appointment online please keep checking back. All of our GP’s continue to work in the NHS as we are committed to continue to provide this service and know this is needed to keep our clinicians up to date.

Yes. We understand the value of continuity and will do our best to arrange appointments with the same GP where possible.

When booking, you can select which GP you would like to see, subject to availability. Your GP may also be able to arrange further appointments with you during your consultation, where appropriate.

If you would like to see the same doctor regularly, please discuss this during your appointment or contact us in advance. We can talk through your needs and advise on the most appropriate appointment type, follow-up plan, membership or subscription option.

While we cannot guarantee that the same GP will always be available, we will try to support continuity wherever we can.

Harrogate Private GP provides private general practice care for adults, children and young people. We can help with many common health concerns, ongoing medical problems, medication reviews, annual health checks, preventative care and more complex or holistic care needs.

We now offer face-to-face appointments from our clinic at Winters Barn, near Follifoot. Home visits remain available on request where clinically appropriate and subject to availability.

As GPs, we are able to assess patients of all ages, including children and young people.

For children and young people under the age of 18, we will usually ask a parent or appropriate carer to attend with them, or to be available during the appointment. This helps us provide safe care and ensures that practical arrangements, consent and follow-up can be managed appropriately.

We also recognise that teenagers may sometimes wish to speak to a doctor privately. Where appropriate, we will support this while taking into account the young person’s age, understanding, wishes, confidentiality and safeguarding considerations.

We are happy to see older adults, including patients with multiple or ongoing medical problems. Where appropriate, and with the patient’s consent, we can also involve family members or carers to support safe, joined-up care and practical planning.

Harrogate Private GP may be suitable if you would like more time with a GP, continuity where possible, help with a new or ongoing health concern, a medication review, a health check, or support in understanding and planning your care.

There are some situations where Harrogate Private GP may not be the most appropriate service. We are not an emergency or urgent care service. If you need urgent medical help, please use NHS 111, your NHS GP, a local urgent treatment centre, or call 999 in an emergency.

Some problems may require NHS hospital care, specialist referral, emergency assessment, safeguarding input, mental health crisis support, or services that we cannot provide directly. If we feel another service is more appropriate, we will explain this and help signpost you where we can.

We can carry out appropriate examinations in our clinic, including intimate examinations where clinically indicated and where suitable consent and chaperone arrangements are in place. If you think you may need a specific examination or procedure, please contact us before booking so we can confirm whether this is something we can offer.

Working as a private GP service does involve some restrictions. Please consider the following before booking:

Controlled drugs and higher-risk medication

Harrogate Private GP does not routinely prescribe controlled drugs or higher-risk medications. This includes strong opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulant medication, pregabalin, gabapentin and other schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs in most circumstances.

We do not usually replace NHS prescriptions for controlled drugs or prescribe them as a substitute for care that should be managed by your NHS GP or specialist team. If you require these medications, please contact your NHS GP or usual specialist prescriber.

In exceptional circumstances, prescribing decisions remain at the discretion of the consulting GP and will only be made where clinically appropriate, safe, and within our prescribing policy.

Sharing information with your NHS GP and other services

Good communication is important for safe, joined-up care. With your consent, we can share relevant information with your NHS GP or other healthcare providers to support continuity and reduce the risk of fragmented care.

There may be circumstances where we are required to share information without consent, for example where there is a serious safeguarding concern, a significant risk of harm to you or others, or a legal or professional duty to disclose. Where possible and appropriate, we will discuss this with you first.

Please review the services we offer before booking. If you are unsure whether Harrogate Private GP is the right service for your needs, please contact us and we can advise before you arrange an appointment.

At Harrogate Private GP, we really value your feedback as this will help us to continually build and improve the service we offer. We will regularly ask our patients for feedback, including aspects of the service that have been particularly helpful as well as any suggestions for improvements.

At present private GP providers, such as Harrogate Private GP, are not able to access your NHS record. We hope that this will be possible in the future. It is very important for us at HPGP that we provide a safe service, for example, by ensuring we safely prescribe any medications you might need. It would be helpful if you can have access to your GP record via SystmOne online, Airmid or the NHS app and/or have a summary print out from your GP. Having a print out of any medications you take, or any recent hospital letters is also very helpful and we will develop your medical record with us.

We are a new organisation and are keen for feedback to help us develop our services.

In the first instance please contact us through the ‘contact us’ page of the website and we will get back to you. We will follow our complaints procedure: Click here for patient information