{
  "schemaVersion": "1.1",
  "slug": "online-vs-in-person-private-gp",
  "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/",
  "title": "Online vs In-Person Private GP Costs UK: Fees & Follow-Up",
  "description": "Compare video and clinic private GP prices, appointment lengths, extra fees and what happens if you need an examination after an online consultation.",
  "category": "Private healthcare",
  "publisher": "Med Easy",
  "language": "en-GB",
  "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-11-10",
  "reviewStatus": "Editorial information; no registered-clinician review is claimed.",
  "scope": "UK private GP planning with named provider examples. Clinic prices relate to the listed services, including London locations; remote eligibility and final booking fees require confirmation.",
  "summary": "A video appointment can have a lower listed fee, but the total depends on whether an examination, test or second visit is needed. Compare appointment length, inclusions and any credit when moving from video to clinic.",
  "introduction": "A video appointment may save travel and have a lower listed fee. The useful comparison is whether the service can complete the assessment you need, and what a second appointment would cost.",
  "takeaways": [
    "Confirm that the format can address the reason for your appointment.",
    "Use the current booking fee when a provider’s pages disagree.",
    "Ask what a second appointment costs before assuming a video saving."
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "choose-a-workable-consultation-format-first",
      "position": 1,
      "title": "Choose a workable consultation format first",
      "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/#choose-a-workable-consultation-format-first",
      "text": "Describe the reason for the appointment to the provider before selecting the cheapest slot. Ask whether a physical examination or sample collection might be needed and whether the proposed appointment format can provide it. The booking team can explain the service; the clinician decides what assessment is appropriate. The GMC applies its professional standards to remote and face-to-face care . Where safe care cannot be delivered remotely, an alternative or another service is needed. The practical cost question is therefore what happens if the first conversation cannot complete the assessment: a free conversion, a credit, another full appointment fee or a referral elsewhere.",
      "links": [
        {
          "label": "GMC applies its professional standards to remote and face-to-face care",
          "url": "https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/ethical-hub/remote-consultations"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compare-published-gp-fees-with-the-same-conditions",
      "position": 2,
      "title": "Compare published GP fees with the same conditions",
      "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/#compare-published-gp-fees-with-the-same-conditions",
      "text": "These direct-provider examples were checked on 10 November 2026 . Prices are appointment fees, not totals for any investigations or treatment. No membership discount is assumed. Video and clinic GP appointment examples, checked 10 November 2026 Provider and price basis Video In person What to check DocTap, standard weekday 15-minute appointment From £55 £75 Selected time, tests and any later appointment Dr.Dropin, dedicated GP price list £69; confirm duration £89 for 15 minutes Final booking fee and any move to clinic DocTap’s standard weekend 15-minute fees are from £65 by video and £85 in clinic. Dr.Dropin’s FAQ page still displays £59 online, while its dedicated price page displays £69. We use the dedicated list in the table and flag the difference: confirm the booking amount, rather than treating the lower figure as a guaranteed offer.",
      "links": [
        {
          "label": "DocTap, standard weekday 15-minute appointment",
          "url": "https://doctap.co.uk/prices"
        },
        {
          "label": "Dr.Dropin, dedicated GP price list",
          "url": "https://www.drdropin.uk/general-practitioner/price"
        },
        {
          "label": "FAQ page",
          "url": "https://www.drdropin.uk/frequently-asked-questions"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ask-what-the-appointment-fee-includes",
      "position": 3,
      "title": "Ask what the appointment fee includes",
      "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/#ask-what-the-appointment-fee-includes",
      "text": "DocTap says prescriptions and medical letters issued during the appointment are included, while tests, scans and medicines may cost extra. Dr.Dropin’s prescription information separates issuing a prescription from paying the pharmacy for medicine. Neither distinction means that a prescription will be appropriate or issued. Ask separately about referral letters, forms, interpreting results and follow-up conversations. Describe the specific document you need: a routine letter and a detailed occupational or insurance report may involve different work. If a service confirms an item is included, record that beside the appointment price. If it has not confirmed a fee, leave the item unknown rather than entering zero in a budget.",
      "links": [
        {
          "label": "Dr.Dropin’s prescription information",
          "url": "https://www.drdropin.uk/services/prescriptions"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "allow-for-a-second-visit-without-counting-it-twice",
      "position": 4,
      "title": "Allow for a second visit without counting it twice",
      "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/#allow-for-a-second-visit-without-counting-it-twice",
      "text": "Ask the provider to explain its conversion policy in writing. If you pay for a video consultation and later need a clinic examination, is the first fee credited against the second? Does that apply only on the same day, at the same clinic or for the same concern? A general promise of follow-up does not settle these payment details. For an illustrative calculation, a £60 video appointment plus a separately charged £90 clinic visit totals £150. If the £60 is fully credited against the £90 visit, the combined payment is £90. These are invented figures, not either provider’s policy. Add travel and time away from work separately if useful to you; a quoted clinical fee will not describe those personal costs.",
      "links": []
    },
    {
      "id": "check-location-accessibility-and-access-to-records",
      "position": 5,
      "title": "Check location, accessibility and access to records",
      "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/#check-location-accessibility-and-access-to-records",
      "text": "Tell the provider where you will physically be during a remote appointment. A UK website does not establish that its clinician can consult with you abroad or in every UK nation. Confirm the service’s current eligibility, identity requirements and how it handles communication support. Check that you have a private space and a connection that works with the chosen format. Ask which records the doctor can access and how to supply relevant information securely. Do not assume that a private booking automatically opens the full NHS record. Keep a medicine list, allergies and relevant letters available, and ask how the consultation summary reaches your usual care team. Our health-record guide explains practical preparation.",
      "links": [
        {
          "label": "health-record guide",
          "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/access-gp-health-records/"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "plan-the-next-step-as-well-as-the-first-appointment",
      "position": 6,
      "title": "Plan the next step as well as the first appointment",
      "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/#plan-the-next-step-as-well-as-the-first-appointment",
      "text": "An assessment may end with advice, an investigation or a referral rather than the outcome you expected. Confirm who receives test results and how you arrange another conversation. If repeated visits are proposed, the recurring appointment calculator can keep the first fee, later visits and confirmed extras separate. For NHS specialist care, NHS referral guidance explains the role of clinical need and the GP’s decision. A private recommendation is not a confirmed NHS appointment. Use our private GP referral and prescription guide for those boundaries, and compare an available NHS route before committing to an ongoing private budget.",
      "links": [
        {
          "label": "recurring appointment calculator",
          "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/tools/recurring-care-cost-calculator/"
        },
        {
          "label": "NHS referral guidance",
          "url": "https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/referrals-for-specialist-care/"
        },
        {
          "label": "private GP referral and prescription guide",
          "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/private-gp-referral-and-prescription-costs/"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "questionsToAsk": [
    "Can this format cover the assessment I need?",
    "What is included at the selected appointment length and time?",
    "If I need an examination, is the video fee credited?",
    "Who receives the record and reviews any results?"
  ],
  "frequentlyAskedQuestions": [
    {
      "question": "Are video GP appointments always cheaper?",
      "answer": "No. Compare the final booking price and any follow-up required. A lower first fee may not produce a lower total.",
      "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/#faq-1"
    },
    {
      "question": "Does a private GP appointment include the medicine?",
      "answer": "Check the service. Issuing a prescription and paying for the medicine are separate charges; an included prescription fee does not mean free medicine.",
      "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/#faq-2"
    },
    {
      "question": "Can I use a UK online GP while overseas?",
      "answer": "Do not assume so. Confirm where you must physically be for the consultation and the provider’s eligibility rules before booking.",
      "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/#faq-3"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "DocTap: GP appointment prices and inclusions",
      "url": "https://doctap.co.uk/prices",
      "publisherDomain": "doctap.co.uk",
      "kind": "Provider or specialist organisation"
    },
    {
      "title": "Dr.Dropin: dedicated GP price list",
      "url": "https://www.drdropin.uk/general-practitioner/price",
      "publisherDomain": "drdropin.uk",
      "kind": "Provider or specialist organisation"
    },
    {
      "title": "Dr.Dropin: service and booking FAQs",
      "url": "https://www.drdropin.uk/frequently-asked-questions",
      "publisherDomain": "drdropin.uk",
      "kind": "Provider or specialist organisation"
    },
    {
      "title": "Dr.Dropin: prescription fee and pharmacy payment distinction",
      "url": "https://www.drdropin.uk/services/prescriptions",
      "publisherDomain": "drdropin.uk",
      "kind": "Provider or specialist organisation"
    },
    {
      "title": "GMC: standards for remote consultations",
      "url": "https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/ethical-hub/remote-consultations",
      "publisherDomain": "gmc-uk.org",
      "kind": "Regulator"
    },
    {
      "title": "NHS: referrals and private specialist recommendations",
      "url": "https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/referrals-for-specialist-care/",
      "publisherDomain": "nhs.uk",
      "kind": "NHS or public authority"
    }
  ],
  "relatedGuides": [
    "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/private-gp-referral-and-prescription-costs/",
    "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/private-test-results-and-follow-up/",
    "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/accessible-appointments-and-interpreters/"
  ],
  "wordCount": 909,
  "readingMinutes": 5,
  "answer": {
    "heading": "Is an online private GP appointment cheaper overall?",
    "text": "A video appointment can have a lower listed fee, but the total depends on whether an examination, test or second visit is needed. Compare appointment length, inclusions and any credit when moving from video to clinic.",
    "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/guides/online-vs-in-person-private-gp/#short-answer",
    "scope": "UK private GP planning with named provider examples. Clinic prices relate to the listed services, including London locations; remote eligibility and final booking fees require confirmation.",
    "sourceCheckedAt": "2026-11-10"
  },
  "topicHub": {
    "title": "Private-care cost guides",
    "url": "https://www.med-easy.co.uk/private-care-cost-guides/"
  }
}