How to find a GP fast in London
What options are available for fast, same-day appointments with a doctor or GP in London on those days where you are not feeling good? We have the answers.
5 minute readPicture the scene. You have an important presentation, a pitch you’ve been working on for months, or a chance at that promotion you’ve had your sights set on for years. And you’re sick. Not can’t-get-out-of-bed sick, or germ-spreading sick, but not firing on all four cylinders. You need to see a doctor. And fast. With our increasingly busy lives, many of us don’t have time to waste a day trekking across the capital in search of a doctor or leafing through out-of-date magazines in a GP waiting room. So what options are available for fast, convenient, same-day appointments?
Don’t worry. Health Prem is here to examine your options.
NHS 111
First on our list of how to find a GP fast in London is via NHS 111.
NHS 111 is a great starting point if you need to talk to a health professional about what to do next. NHS 111 staff can offer advice on caring for yourself at home or direct you to further services depending on your symptoms. These may include Accident and Emergency departments, urgent treatment centres, a pharmacist or specialist dental or mental health services.
You can contact NHS 111 by calling 111 or via their website.
NHS online GP appointments
Since the pandemic, online and telephone GP appointments have become commonplace, improving access to GPs, and increasing convenience for millions of patients.
If you are registered with an NHS GP, you may be able to arrange an online or telephone appointment with your GP or practice nurse. Check with your GP surgery if online appointments are available and how to access a consultation online or over the phone.
Urgent treatment centres, minor injury units and walk-in centres
Urgent treatment centres provide free NHS treatment for people who do not have a life-threatening emergency. Minor injury units and walk-in centres offer some, but not all of the services provided by urgent treatment centres.
Urgent treatment centres are usually staffed by nurses and offer treatment for conditions such as:
Sprains and strains
Suspected broken bones
Injuries, cuts, and bruises
Abdominal pain
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Skin infections and rashes
Fever (high temperature) in children and adults
Prescriptions
Tests such as ECGs, X-rays, and blood tests
Emergency contraception
If you are unsure where to go, NHS 111 can direct you to the most appropriate urgent treatment, walk-in centre, or minor injuries unit. NHS 111 may also let the centre know you are coming so they will be expecting you. You do not need to be registered with a GP, have an NHS number or a permanent address to visit an urgent treatment centre and in most cases, you do not need an appointment.
Depending on your condition, you may have to wait some time to be seen when visiting an urgent treatment centre.
Pharmacies
Did you know you can find a GP fast by visiting a pharmacy near you?
Pharmacists are highly skilled professionals who can offer advice and recommend treatments for a range of minor conditions.
From January 2024, pharmacists in the UK were given new powers to provide prescription medications for seven common conditions without the need to see a GP. The initiative, called the Pharmacy First service, aims to increase access and convenience for patients while relieving pressure on GPs by freeing up 10 million GP appointments per year.
More than nine out of ten community pharmacies across the UK can now offer treatment for the following conditions:
Sore throat
Earache
Infected insect bite
Impetigo
Shingles
Uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI) in women under the age of 65
In addition, since December 2023, pharmacists have been able to provide over-the-counter contraception to women without first needing to see a GP.
Private GP appointments
Next on our list of how to see a GP in London quickly is private appointments.
There are many private GPs in London offering face-to-face appointments across the city. Many offer a 24-hour service including same-day, weekend and evening appointments and home visits to your home, hotel, or place of work. Prices for a private GP appointment range from £40 to £250 depending on the length of your appointment, the location of the clinic and whether you see a GP or a specialist.
With more and more companies, especially larger businesses taking out private insurance for their employees, private GP appointments may be fully or partially covered by your insurance. Just check with your provider.
Some private GPs offering same-day appointments in the centre of London include Walk-in Clinic, London Doctors Clinic and Doctap.
Private GP online appointments
Private online GP appointments have seen a dramatic increase in recent years as patients pay to access a private GP digitally. Benefits of online GP appointments include speed, flexibility and convenience with appointments often being available the same day via video link wherever you happen to be.
Appointments are also available on evenings and weekends. The fee includes a virtual appointment (normally 15 minutes) and a prescription that you can either collect from your local pharmacy or have delivered to an address of your choice.
One drawback of private online GP appointments is that the GP doesn’t have access to your medical records, so you’ll need to inform them of any relevant medical history, any allergies you have and any medications you take regularly.
According to UK virtual healthcare provider Teladoc Health, the number of GP telemedicine consultations increased by 33% from November 2022 to December 2022. They also found that 90% of patients had a consultation within 2 hours, 100% of prescriptions were delivered within 24 hours, and 96% of patients were satisfied with the service they received.
The cost of a 15-minute online GP appointment in the UK is normally between £29 and £80.
Some popular online GP services include Medicspot, The GP Service, and tapGP.
Summary: How to find a GP fast in London
Though the pandemic is an episode of recent history that most of us would be happy to forget, one benefit that has emerged is the surge in online GP appointments, both NHS and private that offer faster access, greater flexibility, and increased convenience for patients.
In a world where time is at a premium and seeing a traditional GP is becoming increasingly difficult, the digital age now allows us to access a doctor and obtain a prescription within hours without having to leave our home or place of work.
NHS 111, urgent treatment centres, walk-in centres, minor injury units and pharmacies are also viable free options for certain conditions.
So the next time you have an important day at the office, there’s no need to let feeling under the weather take the wind out of your sails. Fast, convenient, affordable advice and treatment are available to get you back on your feet as soon as possible.
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