Initial Consultation

My initial consultations are primarily for patients with new neurological problems seeking an expert opinion and management/treatment, or existing problems seeking further care. Details on common problems seen by neurologists can be found here.

I do not routinely see patients to revisit diagnoses made by other specialists (i.e. a “second opinion”). Should I agree to such a consultation, additional consultation time and pre-appointment information would likely be needed and agreed before proceeding. I would make you aware of this in advance.

Pre-consultation Questionnaire

Medical consultations work best when there are defined goals. You will be sent a pre-appointment questionnaire on your goal(s) for the consultation, and a request to upload or email in any referral letter or relevant medical information.

If following review of the information you provide, I conclude that your symptoms/concerns are best suited to other doctors, I will let you know.

Please note that if, for any reason, I am not able to determine a reason for your appointment, we will not be able to proceed and the appointment will be cancelled.

Consultations

All new consultations with me are 30 minutes and in-person (face to face). If a longer consultation is likely to be needed, contact my secretary in advance to request an extended consultation (50 minutes).

My routine consultation fee covers:

• Review of information supplied before the initial appointment;
• A medical history, and examination (as needed/if appropriate);
• Investigation requests, prescriptions, and referrals to other services (as needed/if appropriate);
• A letter to your GP, copied to you, detailing my opinion and recommendations;
• Telephone discussion of any critical results requiring immediate action (as needed/if appropriate);
• A results letter for any investigation(s) I request;
• Responses to simple queries within 28 days of the last appointment;
• Long term access to your letters and results via the patient portal.

Consultation letters to you and your GP will be sent as soon as possible, and by 7 days of the appointment. Please ensure we have your GP details on your account (see patient portal), as without this the release of your letter will be delayed.

My routine consultation fee does not cover:

• Additional time, such as an extended initial consultation* (50 minutes rather than the usual 30-minute initial consultation, £175 in addition to initial consultation fee);
• Additional prescriptions* not linked to an initial or follow-up consultation (£10 per prescription); if the prescription is for a new drug (not prescribed before), a charge for an additional letter to update your GP will be added (£25, so total £35 for prescription and letter);
• Additional letters,* unless explicitly agreed (e.g. letter to employer/to whom it may concern, patient request to be referred to another service/practitioner); £25 per letter; if the letter is complex then it will be invoiced as a report [see below];
• Medical reports, or complex additional letters (e.g. a report to an occupational health department or health insurer; invoiced on the basis of time taken; estimate can be provided on request; charged to requesting party [e.g. the insurer]).

* Please note that fees for additional activities above are not covered by insurers, so they are charged directly to the patient.

Investigations

If following on from our consultation, further tests are recommended, I will let you know.

I have no control on the timing or availability of scans, or other diagnostic services provided by the hospital. If there are delays with services provided by the hospital, please let me know and I can suggest alternative providers.

My decision on the urgency of a request will be based on clinical need. If in my judgement an investigation is urgent, I will let you know on the day, and I will make this clear on the request. In all other circumstances, tests are requested at a standard (routine) priority for the hospital.

Follow-up

If I believe a follow-up appointment will be helpful to your further care, I will let you know and you will be sent a message explaining how to arrange this. Additionally, with any result letter, you will be provided details of how to request a follow-up appointment should you need it to discuss findings further. Where a follow-up appointment is needed, but no physical examination is required, a remote (video) follow-up option will also be offered.

NHS Care

Private practice is independent of NHS care. If you have a problem which is likely best managed within NHS services, I will offer a referral as needed. Please note that a referral to an NHS service is possible only where you would meet NHS criteria for referral or treatment.

Invoices

The agreement for my services is with you. This means that you are ultimately responsible for any invoices that arise.

If you are paying for your own appointment (self-pay), the invoice for the booking is due immediately and — to avoid cancellation — must be paid no later than 4 working days before the appointment. A self-pay appointment and invoice cannot be converted to one paid by an insurer or other third party.

If you are covered by an insurer, the insurer will be invoiced shortly after your appointment. If your insurer pays only part of the invoice, the remainder will be invoiced directly to you, due immediately. If an insurer rejects our invoice for any reason, or there is an error (e.g. due to incorrect details), you will be invoiced the full cost of the appointment.