Why Private GP?

An honest comparison of private and NHS GP care. It covers what patients gain from private care, when the NHS is still the better route, and how many people use both together. See also our detailed NHS vs Private page.

At Basuto Medical Centre, trust comes from straightforward things: clear explanations, enough time in the consultation, honest advice about what private care can and cannot do, and a practice that patients return to because the relationship works.

What private GP care offers at Basuto

Private general practice is not simply faster NHS care. The appointment itself is structured differently, and that structure is what most patients notice first.

A standard Basuto consultation is 30 minutes. That is long enough to take a full history, carry out examination where relevant, consider differential diagnoses, and arrive at a plan without the visit being cut short. For new concerns or layered symptoms, a longer appointment can be booked in advance.

Access is straightforward. Same-day and next-day appointments are available, with priority booking for members. Video consultations are available within the same hours for follow-ups, test review and concerns that do not require physical examination.

You are seen by a named GP where continuity matters – the same doctor through an investigation, a medication change, or the management of a chronic condition. Where investigation is needed, blood tests, ECGs, simple procedures and specialist referrals can usually be arranged within the same appointment rather than across several visits.

What private GP care cannot do

It is more useful to be clear about the limits of private general practice than to overstate what it offers.

Basuto is not an emergency service. Reception is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, and the practice is closed on weekends and bank holidays. For chest pain, difficulty breathing, signs of stroke, heavy bleeding, sudden confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures or severe allergic reactions, call 999 or attend A&E.

Private care does not sit inside NHS systems. NHS prescriptions cannot be issued from a private practice, although we can review and provide a new private prescription for you. Access to shared hospital records, NHS-managed long-term condition registers and NHS referral pathways remains with your NHS GP. A referral to a private specialist from Basuto is straightforward.

Cost matters. A 30-minute consultation is £150 on a pay-as-you-go basis, with membership options for patients who use the practice more regularly. For infrequent, low-complexity needs, the NHS remains the most cost-effective route.

When the NHS is still the right choice

Private GP care and NHS care are not a binary.

Emergencies belong with 999 and A&E – time-critical conditions need the emergency-response capacity that no private practice replicates.

Certain NHS-only community services: health visiting, district nursing, specialist school health teams – do not exist in private practice. When these are part of a care plan, NHS pathways are the ones that work.

Cost is a legitimate reason. If a family’s medical needs are predictable and non-urgent, the NHS is free at the point of use, and a private GP may not be the right spend.

Using private and NHS care together

Most Basuto patients keep their NHS GP. We encourage it, and the two services are designed to work alongside each other rather than compete.

A common pattern is straightforward: patients stay registered with an NHS GP for long-term continuity, hospital records and repeat prescriptions they have had for years, and use Basuto when they need prompt access, a longer, focused appointment, or a second opinion. Many use us for specific clinical areas, hormone health, paediatric concerns, travel medicine, mental health assessment, while keeping the NHS relationship for everything else.

Consultation summaries, test results and referral letters can be sent to your NHS GP after any Basuto appointment, with your consent, so that your full medical record stays in one place. Written consent is taken before anything is shared, and patients choose what is useful to pass on.

Referrals can go either way. Where a private specialist is the right fit, we refer privately. Where an NHS specialist pathway makes more sense, we say so and write accordingly. Membership is designed around this flexibility, not around locking patients in.