Calls about which appointment to book are often not really about medicine yet. They are about a parent who says they are fine and has barely eaten for days, and whether a drive across North London is kinder than a doctor at the door. Or they come from someone whose problem is mostly talking, and who would rather not lose half a working day to it. The type of appointment is the first decision, and it quietly shapes the rest.
So the plain question is whether to book a private GP clinic or home visit, or a video call, and how to tell which one fits the problem in front of you. There is rarely a single right answer, but there is usually a clear one once a few things are known.
Chest pain, signs of a stroke, severe breathlessness, heavy bleeding, a severe allergic reaction or symptoms of sepsis need 999 or A&E immediately. For urgent advice that cannot wait, call NHS 111.
What decides which appointment you need?
When someone rings unsure, 4 questions usually settle it. They are worth asking yourself before you book.
Does the problem need hands on?
This comes first, and it matters most. Anything that needs listening to, feeling, looking into or measuring needs a doctor in the room with you. A cough with a fever. Abdominal pain. An ear that hurts. A new lump, a rash that is spreading or a blood pressure that needs checking properly. A video call cannot do those things, and a careful doctor on a screen will say so rather than guess. If the answer is yes, the choice narrows to the clinic or a home visit.
Can you travel safely and comfortably?
Most people can, and for them the clinic is usually the simplest option. The consulting room has the equipment in it, and 30 minutes is enough for most single problems. Some people should not be travelling, though: someone frail or unsteady on their feet, someone too unwell to sit in a car, someone whose confusion gets worse in unfamiliar places. For them a home visit is not a luxury. It is the safer way to be seen. Seeing someone at home also shows a doctor things a clinic never could, such as the stairs, the contents of the fridge and how a person moves around their own space.
Who else is in the picture?
The piece most people miss is the person making the call. When this comes up in consultation, the son or daughter organising the visit is often running on very little sleep, and the appointment is as much about them knowing what to do next as it is about the parent. A home visit lasts a full hour, which leaves time for that conversation too. In my view it is part of the job, not an extra. If you are booking for someone else, check that they are happy for a doctor to come, and be there for the visit if they would like you to be.
How much of it is talking, and how private does it need to be?
Some problems are mostly conversation: low mood, worry, sleep that has gone wrong, a result you want explained, a plan you want to think through with a doctor. If you can find a quiet room for half an hour, video often suits these well and saves the travel. Sometimes a request for video is really a request for privacy. A problem that feels awkward to say out loud can be easier to raise from your own sofa, and that is a perfectly good reason to start there, as long as you are open to an examination if it turns out to need one. The limit is always examination: if the doctor on the call thinks you need to be seen in person, they will say so plainly, and a clinic appointment or a home visit can be arranged.
Urgency sits across all 4 questions. If it cannot wait for any booking, it is 999 or NHS 111, and I would far rather you used them than waited for us.
Private GP clinic or home visit, or video: what does each cost?
A clinic appointment
A clinic consultation is 30 minutes with a named doctor at 466 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, for £100. The fee covers the examination, and a referral letter where clinically appropriate after assessment. Tests are arranged where they are needed and priced separately. The clinic is open Monday to Friday 09:00 to 20:00 and Sunday 09:30 to 17:30, and is closed on Saturday. More detail is on our clinic appointments page.
A video consultation
A video consultation is 30 minutes for £79.99, currently with Dr Alpa J. Morawala, for problems that do not need an examination. You book and pay online, and the link comes by email. It suits adults who can talk in private. See video consultations, or read what a video GP consultation covers in 30 minutes.
A home visit
A doctor comes to you for 60 minutes. Visits are from £250 on a weekday, from £325 at weekends and bank holidays and from £450 for an evening start. Travel is priced by postcode, so the total depends on where you are; the postcode price check on our home visits page shows it before you book, or ask when you call. The clinic is closed on Saturday, but home visits still run. More on our home visits page.
When is none of these the right call?
Some situations need an ambulance, not an appointment. Call 999 for the emergency signs above, or for someone who is very hard to wake. Call NHS 111 if you are unsure whether it can wait. Book something sooner rather than later if:
- Someone is eating or drinking much less than usual for more than a day or two.
- A person who is usually clear headed becomes muddled or confused.
- There has been a fall, even without an obvious injury.
- A symptom is steadily getting worse rather than holding steady.
How do we help you choose at Clinique Alpa?
If the choice is obvious, book online: each option shows its fee before you pay. If it is not, call 020 8882 8088 and describe the problem. We will tell you plainly which route fits, and if the clinic is the wrong place for what you describe, we say so. This is private care alongside the NHS, not a replacement for your NHS GP, and with your consent a summary goes to them after the consultation. If this is your first time seeing a private doctor, what a first appointment looks like may help you prepare.
Written by Dr Mitesh Parmar, MBBS MRCGP, Principal GP and Clinical Director at Clinique Alpa, 466 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, London N13 5PA. This article is general information, not personal medical advice. In an emergency call 999. For NHS advice call 111 or visit nhs.uk.