How to choose a private doctor

A checklist of questions to ask your doctor or surgeon, to print and take with you to your initial consultation

Can you provide details of your background, experience and qualifications, including when and where you received training?
Which associations, related to your area of medicine, are you a member of?
Have you ever been the subject of a complaint to the General Medical Council?
What is your position and role within the NHS?
What papers have you published in respected medical journals?
Do you have any video available online, so that I can see what you are like?
How many times do you undertake my procedure or treatment each year?
Can you tell me about success rates, outcomes or post-operative infection rates for my treatment?
What other information can you provide on my treatment?
Can I speak to any of your past patients to find out about their experience? You can look online to see if there are any reviews of your consultant from previous patients.

Top tips:

After your consultation, consider whether your individual needs were taken into account and whether you were happy with the answers given
If you didn’t feel comfortable with the consultant, ask the hospital or your GP to refer you to somebody else
You can find and compare alternative specialists on GoPrivate.com