When you need a doctor today, two questions matter: can someone competent actually come, and what will it cost. At Clinique Alpa the answers are yes, usually, subject to availability, and £250 for a daytime GP home visit lasting up to an hour. The fee is published on our fees page before you ever pick up the phone.
We say “usually” because honesty about availability is part of the service. A same-day visit depends on where you are, when you call and what the day already holds. What we will never do is promise a time we cannot keep. When you call, you get a realistic window, not a sales pitch.
First, the line that matters most: if you have chest pain, stroke symptoms, severe breathlessness, heavy bleeding, a severe allergic reaction or possible sepsis, call 999 now. Those are ambulance problems, not home-visit problems.
When a same-day visit is the right call
Most urgent medical problems are not emergencies. They are infections getting worse rather than better, urinary symptoms that burn through a working day, chest colds sitting heavily in someone with asthma, gastric illness that has emptied you out, back pain that has locked you to the sofa, a temperature in someone frail whose family is worried. These need a doctor today, not a doctor in three weeks, and they are precisely what a same-day home visit is for.
It is also for practical reality. Some patients cannot travel: too unwell, too frail, recovering from surgery, caring for someone who cannot be left. Some will not be released by their diary. Some are visiting London with no local GP at all, in which case our note on hotel doctor visits is written for you.
How the day unfolds
You call 020 8882 8088 and describe what is happening. A clinician, not a script, decides with you whether a visit is right. Three things can happen next. If it sounds like an emergency we say so and direct you to 999 or A&E without charging you anything. If it can be sorted remotely we offer a £65 virtual consultation first, which is often the fastest medicine of all and can convert to a visit if examination is needed. If a visit is right, we agree the window, the doctor travels, and you get up to an hour: history, examination, explanation, plan.
Where clinically appropriate the doctor can prescribe at the visit, take bloods with a £20 draw fee plus the test price, write a referral letter for £50, and leave you with a clear written plan. The invoice arrives the same day, itemised, ready for any insurance claim you intend to make.
What it costs, in full
A same-day home visit between 8am and 9pm is £250 for up to 60 minutes, or £480 for an extended visit of up to two hours where the situation needs it. After 9pm the night rates apply, £450 and £750 respectively, and we have written separately about out of hours GP home visits. There is no membership, no registration fee and no urgency surcharge for booking today rather than next week. The price you see on the fees page is the price.
Why the hour matters on an urgent day
Urgency tempts medicine into shortcuts. Ten rushed minutes, a quick prescription, an open question mark. We think the opposite is true: the less time you have to be ill, the more thorough the assessment should be, because the plan has to be right first time. An hour lets the doctor take a proper history, examine carefully, address the thing you almost did not mention, and leave you knowing exactly what happens if you are not better by Thursday. Compassionate listening, thorough care, better health is not a slogan we hang on the wall and ignore on busy days.
Frequently asked questions
Can you guarantee a doctor today?
No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. We can tell you honestly when you call whether today is possible and what the realistic window looks like. Most weekday requests made before mid-afternoon are seen the same day.
How fast can the doctor arrive?
It depends on distance and the day’s bookings. We give you a genuine estimate when you call instead of a blanket claim, and we update you if anything changes.
Is a same-day visit more expensive?
No. £250 is the daytime visit price whenever you book it. Night visits after 9pm are £450, reflecting night work rather than urgency.
Can the doctor issue a prescription or sick note today?
Where clinical assessment supports it, yes. Prescriptions and documentation follow the examination, so they cannot be promised in advance, which protects you as much as us.
What if I am outside London?
Call anyway. Depending on distance we will either plan a visit honestly or help you find the right local service, and a virtual consultation is available anywhere.
Unwell today? Call 020 8882 8088 and we will tell you honestly what is possible. Day visits £250, published on our fees page. Subject to availability.
Written by Dr Mitesh Parmar, MBBS MRCGP, GP and founder of Clinique Alpa, 466 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, London N13 5PA. General information, not personal medical advice. In an emergency call 999. For NHS advice call 111 or visit nhs.uk.