How much should I charge as a private GP?
What private GPs charge now, how to work out a fee that covers your costs, and the rules on VAT and advertising prices.
The short answer
Published private GP fees in the UK run from about £55 to £70 for a 15-minute video appointment, and from about £75 to £150 for 15 to 30 minutes face to face, with hour-long appointments at £240 or more. Set your own fee by working out your costs per clinic hour and how many appointments you will realistically fill, then check it against local competitors. If you work under practising privileges, the clinic usually sets the price.
Key points
- Published prices at the time of review ranged from £55 for a 15-minute video appointment to £280 or more for an hour face to face.
- Fees vary with appointment length, face to face or remote, location and what is included, such as prescriptions, letters or tests.
- Start from your costs and a realistic booking rate, not from a competitor’s headline price.
- Most private GP consultations are exempt from VAT, but some reports and medicals are standard-rated.
- Advertised prices must not mislead. State clearly what is included and what costs extra.
What private GPs charge
There is no national price list, and fees vary widely. These are examples from providers’ own published price pages at the time of review:
| Provider | Appointment | Price |
|---|---|---|
| DocTap (London) | 15 min video | £55 (weekdays) |
| London Doctors Clinic | 15 min online | £70 |
| DocTap (London) | 15 min in clinic | £75 (weekdays) |
| London Doctors Clinic | 15 min in clinic | from £89 (weekdays) |
| Nuffield Health, Oxford | 30 min initial | £120 |
| London Doctors Clinic | 30 min in clinic | from £130 (weekdays) |
| Nuffield Health, Hereford | 30 min initial | £150 |
| Nuffield Health, Oxford | 60 min | £240 |
Two things stand out. Remote appointments are cheaper, and so are high-volume models with short slots. Longer appointments in a hospital or clinic setting cost more, and prices can differ between branches of the same provider.
If you join a clinic or work under practising privileges, the organisation usually sets the fee and pays you a sessional rate or a share. Your pricing decision then becomes whether the rate they offer is worth your time.
What changes the price
- Length. A 15-minute slot and a 30-minute slot are different products. Longer appointments are one of the main reasons patients choose private care.
- Face to face or remote. Remote appointments have lower overheads, and patients expect to pay less.
- Location and premises. City-centre rent and hospital-based clinics cost more to run.
- What is included. Some providers include prescriptions, sick notes and referral letters. Most charge separately for tests, medicines and longer reports. See charging for pathology and tests.
- Timing. Evening, weekend and same-day appointments often cost more.
- Follow-up. Some services price a short follow-up for the same problem lower than a new appointment.
Work out a fee from your costs
Private general practice has no guaranteed income. An NHS practice receives funding for each registered patient whether or not they attend. A private practice earns only when a patient books and pays, while rent, staff and systems cost the same in a quiet month. Your fee has to carry that risk.
- Add up your monthly costs. Include rent or room hire, indemnity, CQC fees, your record system and other software, reception or booking staff, insurance, accountancy, marketing, equipment and consumables.
- Estimate your clinic hours. A four-hour session each week for 47 weeks is 188 clinic hours a year.
- Be realistic about bookings. A new service rarely fills every slot. Work out your costs per booked appointment at, say, half full as well as fully booked.
- Add what you need to earn for your time, after tax and pension planning. Private income does not count towards the NHS Pension Scheme.
- Compare with local prices for the same appointment length and setting. If your number is well above the market, look at costs, format or length before assuming patients will pay more.
A worked example, for illustration only: a GP books 30-minute appointments, so a four-hour session has 8 slots. At £120 each, a full session brings in £960 before costs. At half full it brings in £480, and the fixed costs are the same. That gap is why booking rate matters as much as the headline fee.
Patients with insurance
Most private medical insurance does not pay for private GP appointments as standard. Many policies include a phone or video GP service run by the insurer’s partner instead. Some offer a GP add-on. For example, AXA Health’s small business Private GP option reimburses up to £500 a year per person. Patients usually pay you directly and claim back if their policy allows. See can patients pay with insurance?
VAT
Medical care by a registered doctor is exempt from VAT when its primary purpose is to protect, maintain or restore the patient’s health (HMRC VAT Notice 701/57, section 2.3). Most private GP consultations meet that test. Some services do not, including medico-legal reports, pre-employment medicals and some insurance medicals, which are standard-rated. If your taxable services pass the VAT registration threshold you must register, so take advice from an accountant who knows medical practices. See do private GPs need to charge VAT?
Showing your prices
- Publish prices before patients book, and say what the fee includes. Tell patients about any extra charges, such as tests or prescriptions, before you start.
- Under the CAP Code, price statements must not mislead by omission or emphasis. Quoted prices must include non-optional charges, and “from” prices must not exaggerate how often the price is available.
- Set and publish a cancellation and non-attendance policy.
Review your fees
Review prices at least once a year and whenever your costs change, for example after a rent review or a new member of staff. Track how full your clinics are, how many patients return and which services they book. Those numbers tell you more than a competitor’s price list.
Frequently asked questions
How much do private GPs charge per consultation?
Published prices at the time of review ran from about £55 for a 15-minute video appointment to £150 for a 30-minute face-to-face appointment, and £240 or more for an hour. Location, setting and what is included all make a difference.
Should I charge less for video consultations?
Most providers do, because remote appointments cost less to deliver and patients expect a lower price. Price them from your own costs, not as a fixed discount.
Can I charge for prescriptions and letters separately?
Yes, as long as you tell patients before the consultation. Some providers include them in the fee, so be clear which approach you take.
Do I charge VAT on private GP consultations?
Usually not. Consultations whose main purpose is the patient’s health are VAT exempt. Some reports and medicals are standard-rated, so check HMRC Notice 701/57 or ask an accountant.
