How Much Does a Private GP Prescription Cost?

You can be paying up to three different parties for one private prescription, and each sets its own price. The table shows what each part is and what to ask.

NHS guidance for north east London describes the pharmacy part as the full cost of the medicine plus a dispensing fee, and says the cost may vary depending on the medicine and the dispensing pharmacy.

The consultation is the part you can compare before you book. Some clinics require one before they will prescribe: Medical Express Clinic, for example, asks for a full consultation for first-time requests and new medicines. CheckGP takes each price from the clinic's own published fee list.

• Standard consultation: across the 100 London clinics with a published standard fee, prices run from £70 to £310, with a median of £110.
• Video consultation: the median is £72.50 and the lowest is £30. See video private GP consultations for clinics that offer them.
• Longer appointment: the median extended consultation is £149.

Where a clinic says its consultation price includes a prescription, its CheckGP page marks that price as including one. The full fee breakdown is in how much a private GP costs in London.

Clinics handle the prescription fee in different ways. These four London clinics show the range of approaches. Each is taken from the clinic's own website on 20 October 2026; fees change, so check the clinic's current price list before you book.

The pattern to look for is whether the fee applies to every prescription or only to one issued without a full appointment. A low consultation price with a separate prescription fee can cost more in total than a higher price that includes it.

The medicine is paid for separately at the pharmacy, at the pharmacy's own price. That price is not capped at the NHS prescription charge, and it varies by medicine and by pharmacy. NHS guidance for north east London makes these practical points:

• You can take a private prescription to any pharmacy of your choice.
• It is worth asking more than one pharmacy how much they will charge.
• If you have difficulty getting the medicine, speak to the clinician who issued the prescription.
• If you have private medical insurance, check with your insurer which costs are covered.

Prescriptions have a time limit. The NHS website does not give separate rules for private prescriptions, but says most prescriptions are valid for 6 months from the date they are signed, and prescriptions for most controlled drugs are valid for 28 days.

On the NHS in England, you pay a fixed charge per item unless you are exempt. The NHS website gives the current charge as £9.90 per item. Some items are always free, including contraception.

A prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) costs £32.05 for 3 months or £114.50 for 12 months. It covers all your NHS prescriptions, and the NHS Business Services Authority says a PPC can only be used for English NHS prescriptions. Do not expect a PPC or an exemption to reduce the cost of a private prescription.

A wholly private GP cannot give you an NHS prescription. North east London guidance says private clinicians are not allowed to issue NHS prescriptions, and that the cost of a private prescription is met by the patient or their insurer. The wider differences are covered in private GP vs NHS GP.

Not automatically. If you expect to need the same medicine for a long time, this can matter more to the total cost than any single fee. London NHS guidance says:

• North east London: an NHS prescriber is under no obligation to provide an NHS prescription on the basis of a private recommendation. If they judge the medicine clinically necessary, their NHS terms of service require them to prescribe it on the NHS, subject to the local formulary.
• South west London: the NHS does not routinely support shared care prescribing with private providers, and each request may be assessed individually. It says patients should be told, when they seek private care, about possible restrictions on later NHS prescribing.

Any decision to prescribe on the NHS is your NHS GP's own. If you think you may want your NHS GP to continue a medicine, ask the private clinic whether it will write to your NHS GP, and ask your NHS practice how it handles private recommendations, before you rely on it.

A private GP is not an emergency service. If someone has signs of a life-threatening illness, call 999. For urgent medical help that is not an emergency, use NHS 111 online, in the NHS App, or by calling 111.

1. Is a prescription included in the consultation fee, or charged separately?
2. Is there a different charge for a repeat prescription or one issued without a full appointment?
3. Will the prescription be sent electronically, or given on paper?
4. Are there medicines the clinic does not prescribe, such as controlled drugs?
5. Will the clinic write to my NHS GP about any medicine prescribed?
6. What will my chosen pharmacy charge for the medicine?

You can compare private GPs in London by fee and access, and seeing a private GP without insurance covers the other extras that are often charged on top of the consultation.

• Is a private prescription included in the GP consultation fee?+

  Sometimes. Some London clinics include the prescription in the consultation fee, while others list a separate charge, especially for repeat prescriptions or ones issued outside an appointment. The medicine itself is always paid for separately at the pharmacy.
• Can I use my prepayment certificate or exemption for a private prescription?+

  No. A prescription prepayment certificate covers NHS prescriptions only, and NHS guidance says you pay the full cost of the medicine plus a dispensing fee for a private prescription.
• Can I take a private prescription to any pharmacy?+

  Yes. You can take a private prescription to any pharmacy you choose. Prices vary between pharmacies, so it is worth asking more than one what they will charge.
• Will my NHS GP change a private prescription to an NHS one?+

  Not necessarily. NHS guidance in London says an NHS prescriber is not obliged to issue an NHS prescription because a private doctor recommended a medicine. Ask your NHS practice how it handles this before relying on it.
• How long is a private prescription valid for?+

  The NHS website does not set out separate rules for private prescriptions. It says most prescriptions are valid for 6 months from the date they are signed, and prescriptions for most controlled drugs are valid for 28 days.

• NHS: NHS prescription charges
• NHS: Save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC)
• NHS Business Services Authority: Who can buy a PPC
• NHS: How long is a prescription valid for?
• NHS North East London: Private prescriptions patient information leaflet (PDF)
• NHS North East London: NHS and private interface prescribing guidance (PDF)
• NHS South West London: Position statement on shared care prescribing with private providers (PDF)
• DocTap: Doctor for visitors in London
• Medical Express Clinic: Private prescriptions
• The GP Surgery: Summary of services and fees
• Private Medical Clinic: Private GP London
• NHS: When to use NHS 111 online or call 111
• CheckGP: published clinic fees, verified against each clinic's own price list

CheckGP is an independent directory and does not give medical advice. This guide covers costs and practicalities only.

• How much does a private GP cost in London?
• Private GP vs NHS GP: how they compare
• Seeing a private GP without insurance
• Video private GP consultations
• Compare private GPs in London
• All guides