Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Essex Private Doctors is a private General Practice in Brentwood.
We ask that before you attend, that you complete your registration questionnaire, which is found within your appointment confirmation email.
You can easily make an appointment by booking online – all you need to do is find the appointment type you’re looking for, click the link, and choose a time that suits you.
If you prefer, you can telephone to book an appointment, and our helpful receptionists will be happy to help find you a suitable appointment.
We are open six days a week, and Monday to Friday we will always try to accommodate same-day requests.
Monday 0800 – 1700
Tuesday 0800 – 1900
Wednesday 0800 – 1700
Thursday 0800 – 1700
Friday 0800 – 1400
Saturday 0800 – 1200
We do not have access to your NHS medical records so it is helpful if you bring a list of your regular medication with you and any relevant clinic letters.
If you have set up the NHS App on your phone, you can link this with your NHS GP Medical records and then you can show it to us during your appointment. Alternatively, you can ask the receptionist at your GP surgery to print you out a summary care record and bring this with you.
We do not provide a routine out of hours service. If you feel that your problem is urgent and cannot wait until the clinic is next open, we advise that you contact your NHS GP, or call 111, or where appropriate, call 999.
We can provide the best care for you at our clinic site, but in exceptional circumstances (e.g. in case of a patient being confined to bed), we may offer a home visit.
All patients attending an appointment at Essex Private Doctors have the right to have a chaperone present during their consultation, examination, or treatment.
In addition, there may be some occasions when the doctor will advise that a chaperone should be present.
Essex Private Doctors advocate the use of chaperones because:
- Their presence adds a layer of protection for both the examiner and you as the patient
- It acknowledges you vulnerability as a patient, and ensures your dignity is preserved at all times
- Chaperones can be used to assist in the examination, if needed
- They can provide you with emotional comfort and reassurance.
If you would like a chaperone to be present at your appointment, please advise a member of the practice staff before commencing your appointment.
There is a multi-storey car park across the road from the clinic, and a surface-level one, just a two-minute walk away.
There is disabled parking available at the clinic.
Tests such as blood tests, urine tests, swabs and ECGs can be carried out on site during your appointment. These incur additional charges. The reason for the test and the charges they incur would always be discussed with you prior to doing the test. If you require any radiological imaging such as an x-ray, ultrasound, CT or MRI we can arrange for these to take place at one of the local private hospitals. The cost of the scan would be payable to the hospital directly.
For patients that we do repeat prescribing for, we require you to come in for medication review at least 3-6 monthly. This is to enable us to ensure we are prescribing safely. We would normally try and give you enough medication until your next planned review. If you do run out sooner than expected, then please ring the clinic or email and tell us the name of the medication, dosage, and how many times a day you take it. We aim to action repeat prescription requests within 2 working days. Prescriptions done outside of appointments incur a fee.
We try our best to offer a high-quality service. We welcome any suggestions you may have to help us improve the service we provide. You can discuss these with any of the clinic staff, at any time, or please feel free to use the suggestion box in the waiting room. As a practice, we aim to offer a high quality, personal service to you. Our desire always is to ensure that we thoroughly inform you, our patient, with all the information regarding the treatment plan and give plenty of time for discussion and questions so that we all work in partnership.
If at any time you have concerns about the clinic, or the service that we have provided, please discuss this with us. We take all such issues very seriously and will do our very best to resolve any problems swiftly. We of course also have a written complaints procedure and are members of the Independent Doctors Federation which offers access to an independent review of any complaint, should we not be able to resolve this within the practice.
Our service is designed to complement the NHS GP service and we advise you to continue to be registered with your NHS GP.
Payment for the appointment is taken at the time of booking. We accept all major debit cards and credit cards, including American Express. We do not accept cheques. Family doctor fees are not normally covered by private medical insurance, although onward referral to a hospital consultant is normally covered (please check your policy details). Please see our fees section for details on our prices. Any additional fees for tests or pathology that are undertaken during the appointment is payable at the end of the appointment.
Please refer to our cancellation policy
Your consultations with us are completely confidential.
We do not routinely inform your NHS GP of your visits to us, but we would suggest that we communicate important clinical information, significant diagnoses and any changes to your medications to your NHS GP. We will ask your permission before doing so. If you do not wish us to do so, please indicate your wishes on your new patient questionnaire.
There are some exceptions to this, which include when we consult with children under the age of 16, safeguarding issues, and if we were to prescribe controlled drugs – in these cases we always inform your NHS GP.
Our two ground-floor consulting rooms are wheelchair-accessible, and we have a ground-floor, wheelchair-accessible toilet.
Our three, first-floor consulting rooms are accessed by a single flight of stairs. Please advise at the time of booking of any accessibility requirements so we can book your appointment in the best location.
We have a hearing-loop for the hearing impaired, and large-print registration forms are available for people with visual impairments.
We prefer our patients to come and see us face to face as we feel we are better able to consult thoroughly and examine properly. Telephone or video consultations are an option for straight forward problems that do not require an examination. The fee for these consultations are the same as for a face to face consultation.
At the time of the test the doctor would discuss how your results will be communicated to you. Often this will be by email, sometimes we might plan to go through the results face to face or on the telephone. Whilst we always endeavour to communicate results, if for some reason, you do not get your results, please ring the clinic.