Clinic Appointments

South West Allergy is a private patient service, which means that charges will apply. For the diagnosis of allergy and other immunological problems, private healthcare insurance is usually willing to pay, but please confirm with your insurer before booking. Appointments are held in the evenings to suit patients.

Currently we require a doctor's letter of referral before offering an appointment. This can be from either your GP or another specialist.

In the event of a problem at the appointment time please telephone 0345 450 0440.

Appointment Times

Length of Appointment: Consultations will usually last 30 minutes. Allergy tests (either blood tests or skin prick tests) will be in addition this. There may also be more time spent with a specialist professional, either to take a more detailed history or to advise on the management of the allergy problem. The overall time is rarely more than 1 hour.

Frequency: Clinics are held when there is a sufficient number of patients to be seen. This is usually monthly and sometimes more frequently.

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Consultation Fees

The fixed fee for a consultation is £210. This does not include any tests or other procedures that may be required. The cost of a test varies but will usually be arround £50 for a blood test and £95 for a skin prick test. If this is a concern for you please ask at the time and an estimate can be given before proceeding.

These fees cover a consultation with a specialist of up to 30 minutes and a written report sent to your GP with a copy for yourself. The report will include the interpretation of any test results. In some cases follow-up examinations may be required and you will be advised if this is necessary. Follow-up appointments are charged at the same rate.

If you wish to transfer your care at any time to the NHS you can do this within the existing NHS guidance on transfers.

Private Insurance: Most insurance companies will cover allergy consultations but you're advised to confirm this first. Once your insurer gives you an authorisation number you can have the charges sent directly to them. Some Insurance companies do not meet the full cost of all the tests or consultation. In these cases you should check first with your insurer. Our fees remain the same for all patients, and reflect our costs. The level of coverage is dependent on the individual insurance policy.

Please note that in the event of you not being insured you will be personally liable for any costs incurred. You will also be liable for any cost not covered by your insurance.

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Medication

Stop taking antihistamines (if safe): Ideally we would like you to stop taking any antihistamines 5 days before your appointment. However, if this is likely to result in severe symptoms returning, we would advise you not to and we will use different tests.

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Non-Attendance

If you've booked an appointment but are unable to attend, we request that you cancel immediately. For cancellations with less than 48 hours notice we reserve the right to charge for the appointment. We will only do this where we have incurred costs and/or cannot rearrange other appointments to utilise the time.

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Terms & Conditions

  • Payment is due 28 days from submission of invoice.
  • We request a credit card number or claim number to secure a booking, without this we cannot guarantee a booking. Return of forms consitutes a booking.
  • In the event of a no-show or cancellation we reserve the right to charge appropriately.
  • We reserve the right to cancel the clinic at short notice but will only do so in exceptional circumstances (e.g. illness, medical emergency or circumstances beyond our control).
  • The consultation is an opinion on a medical condition with suggested management options. It is for this that the payment is due. Where opinions differ as to the underlying cause then a charge may still be imposed

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