The Guardian reports that patients are paying up to £550 an hour to see private GPs amid frustration at the delays many face getting an appointment with an NHS family doctor.
Growing numbers of paid-for GP services are opening up across Britain, in the latest sign of how the NHS’s inability to offer prompt care is creating a surge in people resorting to private healthcare.
Clinics are wooing customers by offering short-notice consultations that involve seeing a doctor face-to-face or remotely – and they can last for much longer than the standard 10-minute NHS equivalent. The London General Practice on Harley Street in central London had the highest fees among the 25 non-NHS GP providers the Guardian looked at.
It charges £275 for half an hour with a family doctor, £412 for 45 minutes and £550 for an hour-long consultation. It rises to £348 for a 30-minute slot if it is out of hours or a bank holiday. A GP from the clinic will also do a house call for £500, £550 or £575, depending on the time of day.
Full story in The Guardian, 19 May 2023
