General Practitioners (Doctors)
General Practitioners (GPs) look after the health of the people in their local area and deal with a wide range of health problems. Your local doctor's surgery (GP practice) provides a range of services including:
- advice on health problems
- vaccinations
- examinations and treatment
- prescriptions for medicines
- referral to other health services such as specialists and social care services.
Choosing a GP
Your choice of GP is usually restricted by where you live unless you go to a private surgery (see below). Depending on where you live, there may be a selection of GP surgeries to choose from so it is a good idea to check a few of them out before registering with one. Some things to consider when choosing a GP surgery are:
- Opening hours and ease of getting an appointment.
- The number of doctors in the clinic as it may be easier to get an appointment at a larger surgery.
- The gender of the doctor/s if you have a preference.
When visiting the practice also keep an eye out for any posters or reading materials that are relevant to gay and bisexual men. Ask to speak to the practice manager and enquire if the doctors have had any recent equality training and if the practice has an equality policy that includes sexual orientation. You can also ask any gay men or lesbians who live in the area if they can recommend a good GP.
You will need to register with the GP before you begin to use the practice.
Private GPs
Although everyone is entitled to treatment from the NHS, some people choose to pay for private health treatment, or get it from work as a company benefit.
Some doctors will only accept patients with private health insurance, or people willing to pay every time they need treatment. Before you register, make sure you know what sort of practice it is. You may also want to ask for a list of costs for the most common treatments so you can compare a number of private practices in your area.
