Private GP Appointments · Kensington, London
Private Doctor Appointments in London — Same-Day, from £70
A private doctor appointment at Faciem is a face-to-face consultation about an everyday health concern — the symptom you have been putting off, the prescription you need, the referral letter nobody has time to write. You are seen in person by Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor, at Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic on Kensington Church St, with same-day appointments offered and no waiting list to join.
Consultations start from £70, and a prescription or referral letter written during the appointment is included in that fee. A prescription-only medicine can follow only a face-to-face assessment, which is exactly what this appointment is. What you do afterwards with the diagnosis, the letter or the plan stays your decision.
- GMC-registered doctor
- From £70
- Prescriptions and referrals
- Kensington clinic
96%
Patient satisfaction
- Medically reviewed by Dr Prasad
This page sets out what a private doctor appointment at Faciem covers, and is reviewed for clinical accuracy.
Last reviewed: 14 July 2026.
Patient information only. A private appointment is not a substitute for emergency care; for urgent or life-threatening symptoms call 999 or attend A&E.
Patients since 2019
Procedures
Satisfaction
TL;DR
Private doctor appointments are available at Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic on Kensington Church St, London, held by Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor, from £70. A single appointment can cover diagnosis, a private prescription, a referral letter, a fit note, blood tests or a health check, and same-day slots are offered. Prescriptions and referral letters written during the appointment are included in the fee. Private appointments run 9am to 8pm, six days a week, which is longer than the clinic’s general opening hours. Your consultation notes can be shared with your NHS GP whenever you ask for that.
- Diagnosis, prescriptions, referrals and fit notes
- Kensington, Central London · 9am–8pm, six days
- Notes shared with your NHS GP on request
Treatment at a Glance
Private Doctor Appointments: The Key Facts
How you are seen
Face to face, in person
Appointments are unhurried and cover more than one concern; the length of your slot is confirmed when you book it.
Consultation fee
From £70
The fee for your own appointment is confirmed before it goes ahead.
Availability
Same-day, 9am–8pm
Private appointments run six days a week, including Saturdays and bank holidays — longer hours than the clinic’s general opening times of Monday to Saturday, 10am–7pm.
What is included
Prescriptions and referral letters
No separate charge where they are issued during your appointment.
Follow-up
Arranged before you leave
Where results or a review are needed, the next appointment is set up during the consultation, and any fee attached to it is agreed then.
Your records
Shared with your NHS GP on request
Nothing is sent anywhere without you asking for it.
* Consultations start from £70. Tests, medicines dispensed elsewhere and any treatment arranged afterwards are charged separately, and the figure that applies to you is confirmed before your appointment goes ahead.
About the Treatment
What Is a Private Doctor Appointment and How Does It Work?
What the appointment covers, who you see, what you can leave holding, and how it sits alongside the NHS GP you are already registered with.
A private doctor appointment at Faciem is a face-to-face consultation with Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor, about a general medical concern. It covers your history, an examination, a diagnosis where one can be made, and a plan — which may include a private prescription, a referral letter, a fit note or blood tests.
What happens during the appointment
A private doctor appointment follows the shape of a good general practice consultation, with more time in it. You describe the problem, Dr Prasad asks the questions that narrow it down, and she examines you where an examination is relevant. Nothing here is diagnosed from a form or a screen.
What follows depends on what is found. Some concerns are settled on the spot with advice or a prescription. Some need a test before anyone can be certain, and blood tests and diagnostic screening can be arranged. Some need a specialist, and the referral letter can be written while you are still in the room. You leave knowing which of those three applies to you and what the next step is.
Why it matters that a doctor sees you
Two things are legally restricted to a registered doctor or another qualified prescriber, and they are the two things people most often need: a diagnosis and a prescription. A prescription-only medicine cannot be supplied without a prescriber who has assessed you face to face. A referral letter carries weight with a consultant because of who signed it. Neither can be issued by someone working outside a medical registration, however skilled they are in their own field.
Being seen by a GMC-registered doctor also means the appointment can change direction. What you booked about is not always what matters most, and a doctor is trained and regulated to notice that and act on it — including telling you that a symptom needs urgent attention somewhere else, today.
What the appointment is like
Faciem is a small, quiet clinic, and for a lot of people that is the point. There is no crowded waiting room and no queue you might be recognised in. The clinic is run for minimal waiting, unrushed appointments and clear next steps, which is what a private fee ought to buy.
Practically, you can raise more than one thing. Most people arrive with a main concern and two smaller ones they have been carrying for months, and the second and third are frequently the more useful conversation. Bring a list of every medicine you take, including anything bought over the counter, and mention allergies early. If a physical examination would help, you will be asked first, and you can decline any part of it.
Prescriptions, referrals and paperwork
A private appointment produces the documents an NHS appointment often cannot produce quickly. Private prescriptions, referral letters to specialists, and sick notes or fit-to-work certificates are all issued from the consultation itself. There are no hidden extras for prescriptions or referral letters issued during your appointment.
A private prescription is dispensed at a pharmacy, and you pay the pharmacy for the medicine, which is separate from the consultation fee. Fit notes are accepted by employers in the same way as an NHS one. Where a referral is written, you keep control of what happens next: nothing is sent to a third party without you agreeing to it. Whether the letter can be addressed to a particular consultant, and whether the onward appointment can be arranged for you, is confirmed during the consultation.
How this sits alongside your NHS GP
A private appointment does not replace your NHS registration and is not meant to. It sits alongside it, and works best when both sides know what the other has done. Consultation notes can be shared with your NHS GP on request, so your record stays complete. Nothing is sent unless you ask for it.
The practical division tends to look like this: long-term conditions, repeat prescriptions and anything needing continuity usually belong with your NHS GP; a symptom you want assessed quickly, a second opinion, a test, a referral or a document you need this week is where a private appointment earns its place. Emergencies belong in neither — for chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke symptoms or severe bleeding, call 999 or attend A&E.
What Is Covered
What Can a Private Doctor Appointment Cover?
A private doctor appointment at Faciem covers everyday medical concerns, screening and the paperwork that follows a consultation. The ten services below are what the clinic sets out as its private general medical service. Anything outside them is discussed honestly, and referred onward where that is the right answer.
ZONE I
Advice and diagnosis
The concerns most people book a private appointment about in the first place.
General health consultations
A consultation about any everyday health concern, with history, examination and a plan. More than one issue can be raised in the same appointment.
Skin, hair and scalp advice
Advice on skin, hair and scalp health from a clinic whose main work is dermatology. Our skin conditions library and the page on scalp and hair problems cover many of these in detail.
Women’s and men’s health
Women’s and men’s health concerns are seen as part of the private service, including the conversations people tend to postpone.
Urinary tract infections
Assessment and treatment of urinary tract infections, where being seen the same day usually matters more than anything else about the appointment.
ZONE II
Checks and screening
Where a test settles a question that a conversation on its own cannot.
Blood tests and diagnostic screening
Blood tests and diagnostic screening can be arranged as part of the appointment. What each one costs, and how long the result takes, is confirmed before it is booked.
Health checks and wellness assessments
General health checks and wellness assessments are offered. What each includes is confirmed when you book, so nothing is a surprise afterwards.
ZONE III
Prescriptions and onward care
What you can leave the appointment holding, with no wait for the paperwork.
Private prescriptions
Private prescriptions are issued where a medicine is appropriate. The medicine itself is paid for at the pharmacy that dispenses it.
Referrals to specialists
Referral letters to specialists are written during the appointment where one is needed, with no separate charge for the letter itself.
Sick notes and fit-to-work certificates
Sick notes and fit-to-work certificates are issued where clinically appropriate. They are accepted by employers as an NHS note would be.
Pregnancy advice and referral
Pregnancy advice and onward referral are part of the service. Antenatal care itself continues through the NHS pathway.
Choosing the Right Treatment
A Doctor-Led Consultation vs a Therapist-Led Skin Consultation: What’s the Difference?
Both appointments start the same way, with someone listening to what is bothering you, and both have a proper place. The difference is scope. A doctor can diagnose, prescribe and refer. A skin therapist works within a non-medical scope, recommending skincare and treatments that need no prescription, and referring on when something looks medical. Booking the wrong one costs you a visit, so the table below sets out which does what.
| Doctor-led consultation | Therapist-led skin consultation | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sees you | A GMC-registered doctor, who can examine you, reach a diagnosis and prescribe. | A trained skin therapist or aesthetician, working within a non-medical scope of practice. |
| Best for | Symptoms, rashes, lumps, infections, medication questions and anything needing documenting. | Skincare routines, product choices and treatments that require no prescription. |
| Diagnosis | Yes — a diagnosis can be made and recorded, or investigation arranged where it cannot. | No. Skin can be assessed and described, and anything suspicious should be referred to a doctor. |
| Prescribing | Yes, including prescription-only medicines, after a face-to-face assessment. | No. Prescription-only medicines require a prescriber, whatever the setting. |
| What follows | A prescription, referral letter, fit note or test, issued during the appointment. | A skincare or treatment plan, and onward referral if something medical is spotted. |
| Ideal candidate | Someone with a symptom, a question about medication, or a document they need quickly. | Someone whose concern is cosmetic and already known not to be medical. |
Neither appointment is a substitute for the other, and plenty of people benefit from both. Where a concern turns out to sit outside what a private appointment can usefully do, Dr Prasad will say so and point you to the right route, including back to your NHS GP or on to a specialist.
Transparent Pricing
How Much Does a Private Doctor Appointment Cost in London?
Private doctor appointments at Faciem start from £70. That covers the consultation itself, and prescriptions or referral letters issued during it carry no separate charge. Tests, and the medicine a pharmacy dispenses against a private prescription, are charged separately — those go to the laboratory and the pharmacy, not to us. The fee that applies to your own appointment is confirmed before it goes ahead.
Private consultation fees across London vary widely, and the headline figure rarely tells you much on its own. Ask how long the appointment is, whether a prescription costs extra, whether a referral letter is charged for, and what a follow-up costs. A low fee attached to a ten-minute slot and a charge for every document is not the cheaper option it appears to be.
You should know the total before you book, not discover it afterwards. If what you need falls outside what a private appointment here can usefully do, you will be told so at the point of booking, before you have paid for a consultation that cannot help.
| Treatment | Price |
|---|---|
| Private doctor consultation | From £70 |
| Extended or follow-up appointment | Confirmed at consultation |
| Blood tests and diagnostic screening | Confirmed at consultation |
| Prescription or referral letter issued during your appointment | No separate charge |
Why Faciem
Why Book a Private Doctor Appointment at Faciem?
Faciem is a dermatology and medical clinic rather than a booking platform with rooms attached. The private general medical service is run by the same clinic, in the same building, by the same doctor — which is also why a skin, hair or scalp problem raised at a general appointment lands somewhere that deals with those every day.
- Seen face to face by Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor with 20 years’ experience
- Same-day appointments, with no waiting list to join first
- Prescriptions and referral letters issued during the appointment, with no separate charge
- Consultation notes shared with your NHS GP on request, so your record stays complete
- Clinic operated by a provider registered with the Care Quality Commission
- Unusual depth in skin, hair and scalp problems, in a clinic whose main work is dermatology
Experience & Expertise
Who Will I See at a Private Doctor Appointment?
Private appointments at Faciem are held by Dr Prasad, a doctor registered with the General Medical Council, with 20 years’ experience across dermatology and general medical practice. You are seen by her in person, examined where an examination is relevant, and told plainly what she thinks is going on. She is the same doctor who leads the clinic’s dermatology work, so the person taking your history is the person deciding what happens next.
The service sits inside Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic, which Dr Prasad leads and which is registered with the Care Quality Commission, so a private appointment runs under the same governance as her dermatology practice. What experience buys in a general appointment is judgement about what is not urgent and honesty about what is. A consultation should not end with more tests than the problem warrants, and it should not end with reassurance that has not been earned. Where something needs investigating, it is investigated; where it needs a specialist, a referral is written; where it needs nothing, you are told so. Her qualifications and background are set out on her profile page.
- Dr Anamica Prasad — MBChB (1999), Dip Dermatology (2001), MRCGP, DFFP, DRCOG · a GMC-registered doctor
- Member of the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), British Medical Laser Association (BMLA), Royal Society of Medicine and the Aesthetic Complications Group · ZO Skin Health UK Faculty & Trainer
- Clinic operated by Derma Medical UK Ltd — registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for diagnostic and screening procedures, surgical procedures, and treatment of disease, disorder or injury (Location ID 1-25573003746)
- Face-to-face consultation and examination before any diagnosis is made or medicine prescribed
- 20 years’ experience in dermatology and general medical practice, covering diagnosis, prescribing and referral
Patient Reviews
Rated Excellent by Patients on Google
Your Journey, Our Promise
How a Private Doctor Appointment Works, Step by Step
From the booking call to the follow-up, here is how a private doctor appointment at Faciem runs, and what you can expect to leave holding.
STEP 01
Booking
Appointments are booked online or by phone, and same-day slots are offered. You are asked briefly what the appointment is about, so the right amount of time is set aside. If what you need cannot usefully be dealt with here, you are told at this point, before you pay for anything.
STEP 02
Consultation
You describe the problem, and Dr Prasad takes a full history and examines you where that is relevant. Bring a list of your current medicines and mention allergies early. Several concerns can be raised in the same appointment, and often the second one turns out to matter more than the first.
STEP 03
Diagnosis and plan
You are told what the likely diagnosis is, or what needs testing before anyone can say. A private prescription, referral letter or fit note can be issued during the appointment, and blood tests or screening arranged where they are needed.
STEP 04
Follow-up & records
Where results or a review are needed, the follow-up is arranged before you leave. Your consultation notes can be shared with your NHS GP on request, so your medical record stays complete. Whether the review happens in person or by phone, and any fee attached to it, is agreed at the same time.
Side Effects & Safety
What Are the Limits of a Private Doctor Appointment?
A private doctor appointment is a consultation, not an emergency service, and being clear about its limits is part of doing it properly. The appointment itself carries little in the way of physical risk. On discomfort: most patients describe having blood taken as a sharp scratch lasting two or three seconds, with the needle itself in for under a minute and no anaesthetic used for it, and a physical examination as pressure rather than pain, stopped the moment you ask. What matters more than either is knowing when this is the wrong route and going somewhere else instead.
Common, temporary effects
- Bruising or tenderness where blood is taken, settling within a few days
- Brief light-headedness during or shortly after a blood test
- Mild discomfort during a physical examination, which you can decline at any point
- The unease of waiting for a result, which is why turnaround is explained upfront
Uncommon effects
- Occasionally a test result is unclear and has to be repeated, or a finding needs urgent onward referral the same day. Fainting after a blood test is uncommon but does happen, and you are not left alone if you feel unwell. Where a result changes the picture, the clinic contacts you directly and explains in full what happens next; you are not left to chase it.
When a private appointment is not the right route
- Call 999 or attend A&E for chest pain, difficulty breathing, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding, a seizure or sudden severe illness. Complex long-term conditions and repeat prescribing generally belong with your registered NHS GP, who holds the full record. Controlled drugs and some medicines are not prescribed privately. Whether a child can be seen, and from what age, is confirmed when you ring to book.
After Your Appointment
What to Do After a Private Doctor Appointment
What happens after a private appointment is mostly administrative, and it is the part people let slide. Nearly all of it belongs in the first week — collecting the prescription, asking for your notes to go to your NHS GP, booking the test or review you were advised to have. Beyond that, the arc is simply the one you were given in the room: a timeframe by which the symptom should have settled, and a date for the result or the follow-up.
Do
- Take your private prescription to a pharmacy — most stay valid for six months from the date they are signed
- Ask within the first week for your notes to go to your NHS GP, so your record stays complete
- Finish the whole course of any medicine prescribed, including the last two days of a five- or seven-day course when you already feel well
- Book the follow-up or test you were advised to have within 48 hours, while you still remember it
- Ring the clinic if a symptom worsens at any point, or has not begun to settle within the timeframe you were given
Avoid
- Stopping a prescribed medicine on day two because the symptom has gone, without speaking to a doctor
- Waiting more than 48 hours on a symptom that is clearly getting worse
- Treating one normal blood test as a clean bill of health for the next twelve months
- Buying prescription-only medicines from an online seller that issues no prescription
- Using a routine appointment for emergency symptoms — those need 999 or A&E the same day
This is general guidance and does not replace the specific advice you are given at your appointment, which is based on your own history and findings. If you are unsure what you were advised, ring the clinic and ask.
Common Questions
Your Questions, Answered
The questions that come up at the booking stage, answered in full. If yours is not here, call +44 20 7131 3539 and ask before you book anything.
How much does a private doctor appointment cost in London?
At Faciem, private doctor appointments start from £70. Prescriptions and referral letters issued during the appointment carry no separate charge. Tests, and medicines dispensed by a pharmacy, are charged separately. The fee that applies to you is confirmed before your appointment goes ahead.
Can I get a same-day private doctor appointment in London?
Same-day private doctor appointments are offered at Faciem, subject to availability on the day. They run from 9am to 8pm, six days a week, including Saturdays and bank holidays. Those are deliberately longer hours than the clinic’s general opening times of Monday to Saturday, 10am–7pm, so an appointment can sit before work or after hours. Booking online shows what is genuinely free today.
Do I need to be registered with the clinic to be seen?
No. A private appointment at Faciem does not require registration and does not affect your NHS GP registration, which stays exactly as it is. You can be seen once, occasionally, or regularly. If you would like your NHS GP kept informed, your consultation notes can be shared with them on request.
Can a private doctor give me a prescription?
Yes, where a medicine is clinically appropriate. Private prescriptions are issued during the appointment and dispensed at a pharmacy, which charges you for the medicine itself. Prescription-only medicines require a face-to-face assessment first. Controlled drugs and certain other medicines are not prescribed privately.
Can I get a sick note or fit-to-work certificate privately?
Sick notes and fit-to-work certificates are issued at a private doctor appointment where they are clinically appropriate. They are accepted by employers in the same way an NHS note is. Dr Prasad has to be satisfied that the certificate reflects your actual condition, so it follows an assessment, not a request.
Can a private doctor refer me to a specialist?
Yes. Referral letters to specialists are written during the appointment where a referral is needed, with no separate charge for the letter. You decide whether and when to use it. Ask at your appointment whether the letter can name a particular consultant and whether the onward booking can be made on your behalf.
Do I need to fast before a blood test at a private appointment?
Only some blood tests need fasting. Where it is required — a glucose or lipid panel, typically — you are asked to take nothing but water for 8 to 12 hours beforehand, which is why an early slot is easiest to fast for. Most routine tests need no preparation at all. You are told which applies to yours when the test is arranged, along with whether to take your usual medicines that morning.
Can I have blood tests done at a private appointment?
Blood tests and diagnostic screening can be arranged as part of a private doctor appointment. Which tests are appropriate depends on the consultation, not on a menu, and Dr Prasad will explain what each one would and would not tell you. The price of any test, and the wait for its result, is given to you before it is arranged.
What kinds of problems can a private doctor deal with?
General health concerns, urinary tract infections, women’s and men’s health, skin, hair and scalp problems, health checks and pregnancy advice are all covered, along with the paperwork that follows: prescriptions, referrals and fit notes. Symptoms people put off raising belong here too — sweating that soaks through clothing, for instance, has a medical name and its own treatment for excessive sweating. Complex long-term conditions are usually better managed by the GP holding your full record.
Can I go back to work straight after a private doctor appointment?
Yes. A private doctor appointment needs no recovery time, so most people go back to work or on to an event immediately afterwards, which is partly why appointments run from 9am to 8pm six days a week. If blood is taken, keep the dressing on for two to four hours and avoid heavy lifting with that arm for the rest of the day. Where you are not fit for work, a fit note can be issued during the appointment itself.
Can I see a private doctor about a skin problem?
Yes, and this is where Faciem differs from a general private practice. Skin, hair and scalp advice is part of the private service, at a clinic whose main work is dermatology. A changing mole, a persistent rash or a scalp problem is examined properly by a doctor who sees skin all day. Our mole checks page explains that assessment in detail.
What should I do if I need to be seen urgently?
For chest pain, difficulty breathing, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding or sudden severe illness, call 999 or attend A&E instead of booking an appointment. For urgent but not emergency problems, phone the clinic and describe the symptoms, and you will be told honestly whether a same-day appointment here is the right route for you.
Private Doctor Appointments in Kensington, London
A Doctor-Led Clinic in the Heart of Kensington
The clinic sits on Kensington Church St, between two Tube stations: a few minutes’ walk from High Street Kensington and around ten from Notting Hill Gate. Chelsea, South Kensington, Holland Park, Knightsbridge and Notting Hill are all a short journey away, and there is a Kensington council underground car park close by for anyone driving in.
Private doctor appointments run from 9am to 8pm, six days a week, including Saturdays and bank holidays. Those hours are longer than the clinic’s general opening times of Monday to Saturday, 10am–7pm, listed in the visit details on this page, because the private medical service deliberately opens earlier and closes later than the rest of the clinic. In practice that means an appointment before work, in a lunch break, after hours or on a Saturday — and Saturday is usually the easiest day for anyone travelling in. Everything is bookable online.
Two things make the appointment go further. Bring a list of everything you currently take, prescribed or bought over the counter, and a rough timeline of the symptom: when it started, what makes it better or worse, and what you have already tried. Recent test results from your NHS GP or another clinic are useful too. Nothing you bring or say leaves the consultation without your agreement.
There is no obligation attached to a consultation, and no expectation that you will book treatment afterwards. If what you need is better handled by your NHS GP or a hospital service, you will be told so plainly. You are welcome to contact the clinic and describe the problem before booking anything, or to look through the treatments offered at Faciem alongside its medical appointments.
Plan Your Visit
- Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic
- Phone: +44 20 7131 3539
- 7 Kensington Church St, London W8 4LF, United Kingdom
- Tube: High Street Kensington (few minutes’ walk) · Notting Hill Gate (~10 minutes)
- Parking: Kensington council underground car park nearby
- Open Monday–Saturday, 10am–7pm · Sunday closed
- Private doctor appointments run longer hours: 9am–8pm, six days a week, including bank holidays
- Consultation-first — no treatment without medical assessment
- Serving Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill & Central London
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Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic · Kensington
Need to See a Doctor This Week?
Book a private doctor appointment in Kensington and have the problem assessed properly, with a prescription, referral letter or fit note issued during the consultation where you need one. Appointments run 9am to 8pm, six days a week, from £70. If you would like to hear from people treated here first, read our patient reviews.
Prefer to talk? +44 20 7131 3539