What we do not offer, and where to go instead

Why we say what we do not do

Knowing where a clinic’s care ends helps you reach the right care sooner. We name what we cannot do as plainly as what we can [1], and we would rather tell you before an appointment than at the door.

This follows the duty every doctor in the UK holds. Good medical practice requires a doctor to recognise and work within the limits of their competence, and to refer a patient to another suitably qualified practitioner when this serves the patient’s needs [2].

Emergency care

We are not an emergency service. For chest pain, breathing difficulty, severe bleeding or a head injury, ring 999 [3]. Ring 999 too for signs of a stroke or for a seizure [4]. Outside the UK, call the local emergency number. If you are unsure whether something is an emergency, treat it as one.

Messaging us first in an emergency would only add delay. Once you are safe, we are glad to follow up, read the hospital’s letters with you and arrange what comes next.

Appointments between nine at night and seven in the morning

Both clinics are open from seven in the morning to nine at night every day, and we do not offer appointments or visits between nine at night and seven in the morning [4]. You can request an appointment online at any time, though a message sent after nine is answered when the clinic reopens, so do not wait for our reply if the problem is urgent [4].

Overnight, use the free public urgent care telephone service where you are for a problem that is urgent and not an emergency. For a cough, a cold, a sore throat or a minor injury, a pharmacist can advise without an appointment [4].

Inpatient beds and operating theatres

We have no inpatient beds and no theatre. Anything that needs either is referred to a provider who has them, and that provider bills for the care it gives [5]. Our doctors can refer you onward for imaging and a specialist opinion through our own network [5].

Babies under three months

Our doctors see children from three months old, with a parent or guardian in the room. For a baby under three months we direct you to a paediatric emergency department, because that is the right place [3]. An older child can be seen in your home or hotel room, with you there [3].

NICE guidance recognises that babies younger than 3 months with a temperature of 38°C or higher are in a high risk group for serious illness [6], and they need assessment and tests a hospital is set up to give at once.

Tests and treatments without a clinical reason

We do not give a treatment simply because it is asked for. Before IV therapy there is a health screening, and an iron infusion is given only when blood results confirm iron deficiency [7]. Our doctors use the questions Choosing Wisely UK puts forward for any test or treatment, asking about its benefits, its risks, the alternatives and what happens if you do nothing [8].

Some prescriptions have limits too. A UK doctor cannot prescribe every medicine licensed elsewhere, and controlled drugs have rules our doctors do not bend, so the doctor tells you on the telephone before a visit [3].

Where to go instead

Keep this list where your family can find it, at home or while you travel.

• An emergency in the UK, call 999. Abroad, call the local emergency number.
• An urgent problem overnight that is not an emergency, the public urgent care telephone service where you are.
• A minor illness or minor injury, a pharmacist, without an appointment.
• A baby under three months who is unwell, a paediatric emergency department.
• An operation or a hospital stay, a referral from one of our doctors to a provider who has beds and a theatre.
• Anything else, from seven in the morning to nine at night, a same day appointment with us.

How The Wellness can help

Within those limits, we make care simple. Our clinics are on Baker Street in Marylebone and Eccleston Street in Belgravia, a same day appointment is £220 and a GP appointment £150, and a doctor can come to your home or hotel anywhere in London. Every doctor is GMC registered, and appointments in 13 cities are arranged with partners when you are away from London.