How can I see a private consultant or clinician?
Most private specialists will want a referral letter from your NHS GP. This is usually to make sure that you are booked to see an appropriate clinician and they have your full health information. We will do a private referral letter free of charge. We will have to charge for any insurance forms.
What happens if the private doctor prescribes me medication?
You will need to pay for this medication privately (ie you will not get an NHS prescription).
Sometimes private doctors ask NHS GPs to carry on prescribing after the first prescription. We can only do this if it is a medication we are competent and trained to prescribe. Specialist medication that needs ‘shared care’ between GP and the specialist consultant, cannot be prescribed by GPs in Kingstone. A more in depth explanation is below in blue.
What happens after my private consultation?
We hope your specialist will write you a letter summarising your consultation, and will cc us into this. This is important both for your information, and for ours. it will ensure smooth tied in care. If this does not happen, please contact their secretary and request this
Further information: Shared care prescribing.
“People who opt to be referred privately (i.e. outside the NHS) are expected to pay the full cost of any treatment they receive in relation to the referral, including that of any drugs and appliances. Patients should be informed of this expectation prior to referral.”
Following a private consultation, there is no obligation for the GP to prescribe the recommended treatment. If it is specialist medication, outside of the realms of a GP’s normal practice, it is the specialist who should issue the prescription and we will not prescribe.
It is a fundamental tenet of medicine that a doctor who signs a prescription also carries full responsibility for that prescription, as per NHSE guidance. No doctor should prescribe medication outside of their competence (which they are neither qualified nor indemnified to do). In rare circumstances, a GP will prescribe pre-agreed specialist medication on the direction of an NHS consultant under a ‘shared care agreement’. These agreements are usually made between Primary Care and the ICB consultants with direction from the local Medicines Management team. These agreements therefore do NOT currently exist with the private sector. The local list is available here.
As of 2025, Kingstone surgery no longer do ‘Shared care prescribing’ with private providers.
References:
H+W ICB prescribing policy:
NHSE guidance:
Local formulary list of Shared care only medications: