You do not need a referral to be taken seriously.
You do not need a GP referral to see a private paediatrician. You can book a consultant paediatrician directly, by video or in person. A referral is useful if you already have one, because it carries your child’s history — but it is not a requirement. The one real exception is insurance, covered below.
Why people think they need one
Because most routes to a paediatrician run through a GP, and after years of that it is reasonable to assume the same gate exists everywhere. It does not. In the private sector the referral requirement is set by the clinic and the insurer, not by law, and we do not require one.
The practical effect of assuming otherwise is that families wait — sometimes for months, sometimes through several GP appointments — for permission that was never needed.
When a referral genuinely helps
A referral letter is a summary of your child’s history written by someone who has been watching it. It saves the consultant reconstructing that from scratch, and it sometimes contains the detail that turns out to matter. If you have one, send it.
If you do not, send whatever else you have instead — your red book, previous clinic letters, results, and your own written account of what has been happening. Your own account is genuinely useful, and it is the one record that covers everything.
The exception: private medical insurance
If you intend to claim, check with your insurer before you book. Most require a referral, and for children the requirement is usually stricter than for adults: a named referral to a specific consultant, with an open referral not accepted for any patient aged seventeen or under.
This catches a lot of families out. An open referral obtained for an adult in the same household will not necessarily work for a child, and finding that out after the appointment means paying for it yourself. It costs one phone call to your insurer to confirm, and it is worth making before you book rather than after.
What we do instead
A short intake when you book, then, with your consent, we request your child’s records so the consultant can read them before you meet. That does the work a referral would have done, without the wait for an appointment to ask for one.
We write to your GP afterwards
With your consent, your GP receives a summary of the consultation, the diagnosis and the plan. Skipping the referral does not mean going around your GP — it means not waiting for one before being seen. Continuity matters, and your GP remains the person holding the whole picture over time.
Common questions
- Can I really book a paediatrician directly?
- Yes. Book a first consultation and you will be offered the earliest suitable appointment, by video or in person. No referral is required at any point.
- Will my insurer pay without a referral?
- Usually not. Most insurers require a referral, and for a patient aged seventeen or under most require a named referral to a specific consultant rather than an open one. Check with your insurer before booking if you intend to claim.
- Do you tell my GP?
- With your consent, yes — your GP receives a summary of the consultation, the diagnosis and the plan.
- What should I send if I have no referral?
- Your red book, any previous clinic letters and results, and your own written account of what has been happening and for how long. With your consent we can also request your child’s records directly.