Frequently Asked Questions about PrivateDoc
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Is this a legal way to get treatments?
Yes, our service is completely legal and fully regulated. PrivateDoc is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). All our doctors are registered with the General Medical Council (GMC), and our pharmacists are registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Prescribing of any treatment follows the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines as well as other leading national best practice guidelines. Our service is fully compliant with all the same regulatory bodies that also look after your family GP practice and your local pharmacy.
If following your consultation, our doctors confirm that prescribing treatment for you is safe and appropriate, they will issue an electronic prescription. Your prescription is sent to our partner pharmacy, who then dispense and despatch your medication. Our pharmacy partner is registered with the GPhC and supplies only genuine licensed medication – sourced through a fully auditable supply chain.
Our pharmacy partner is registered with the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to allow it to send prescriptions to you using our delivery partner. They comply with the ‘Medicines, Ethics and Practice’ guidelines of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
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How does the service work?
We follow a 3-step process to make sure any request for treatment is safe and appropriate, and that the treatment is sent to you securely. The 3 steps are:
- an online consultation
- a thorough review of all the information you have provided
- taking payment and delivering treatment to you.
You can find more information about this on our ‘How it works’ page.
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Do I need an appointment and how long does it take?
Our service is available 24 hours a day for you to complete a consultation at a time that suits you, with no appointment needed.
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How long will it take for my prescription to be delivered?
All orders are packaged discreetly and delivered by DPD next day delivery. If you place your order with us Monday to Friday, before 2 pm, it will be dispensed and dispatched the same day. Any orders placed after 2 pm, or on a Saturday or Sunday, will be dispatched the following working day. We provide you with a tracking number so you can track your parcel right to your door.
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What if my consultation isn’t approved?
After a review of your online consultation, our doctors will make a clinical decision about whether it is safe and appropriate to prescribe treatment for you. If they decide it is not appropriate, we will let you know, and you will not be charged for this service. Where possible, we will let you know the reason why the consultation has not been approved.
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When will you request payment for the treatment?
Where the preferred treatment option is identified as part of the consultation, we will ask for your payment details at this point. This makes it simpler if your treatment is approved, as we can then automatically process the payment and dispatch your treatment, without you having to log back in.
If the treatment options are not clear during the initial consultation, we will review and then provide you with appropriate treatment options. Payment is then taken depending on which treatment is selected.
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Are you able to check my NHS medical record?
No, we do not have access to your NHS Medical Record. Therefore, it is very important to make sure you answer all consultation questions as fully and as truthfully as possible.
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Will you share my information with my GP?
We will not share any information with your GP unless you have given us consent to do this. If you do consent to us providing information to your GP, we will request their details from you.
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Am I told which doctor reviewed my consultation?
Yes, when we issue treatment, this will include the name of the doctor who reviewed your consultation.
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Can I just take the prescription to my local pharmacy?
Our fees are fully inclusive of the cost of treatment, so it would not be possible for us to supply you with a prescription to take elsewhere.
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I’ve already ordered the treatment before and completed a consultation previously. Do I need to follow the full process each time?
This depends on the treatment service. For some treatments, we must carry out a full consultation each time because your information may change more quickly between visits. For other services, it may be appropriate for us to consider a longer review period and therefore allow you to make “repeat prescription” requests over a certain period. We will let you know how the service works when we authorise the treatment for you the first time.
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I’m concerned that if I am not at home and a neighbour offers to accept delivery, will they know what I have ordered?
Our treatment is delivered in discreet packaging, which does not reveal the contents to anyone who takes delivery of your treatment.
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What is your patient feedback for your service?
Our patients are invited to rate their experience and these are available to view at Trustpilot.
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How do I return an item?
If your prescription medicines appear to be damaged, the delivery appears to be wrong, or if you have any other concerns, please contact our customer services team on 0333 358 0200. We will make every effort to put things right. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept returns or cancellations of any prescription products which you have decided you no longer wish to keep.
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How do I make a complaint about the service?
If you wish to contact us for any other reason, including because you have any complaints, you can contact us by telephoning our customer service team at 0333 358 0200, or by e-mailing us at [email protected].
If you have made a complaint and you feel that we have not dealt with your complaint to your satisfaction, you may escalate your complaint to the Care Quality Commission.
CQC
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PAPhone: 03000 616161