A GMC-registered GP on a video call can take a history, examine what a camera can show, diagnose most everyday problems, issue a private prescription to a pharmacy near you, write a fit note or a referral letter, order and explain blood tests and talk through low mood or anxiety. They cannot start controlled drugs, cannot examine what they cannot see, and will send you to be seen in person when that is what you need. At The Vesey the Virtual GP does all of this in a 15-minute appointment for £25.
What a video appointment is good for
Roughly two thirds of what a GP does is talking: taking a history, weighing symptoms against risk, agreeing a plan. All of that works on a video call. A camera also shows a rash, a swollen joint, a red eye, a throat, how someone is breathing. The consultation that struggles is the one that needs hands or instruments.
- Infections and minor illness: urine, chest, skin, ear and throat infections; coughs, colds, sinusitis, stomach bugs.
- Prescriptions: a new prescription for a common condition, a repeat you have run out of, a medication review.
- Paperwork: a fit note, a referral letter to a specialist, a letter for a scan or test.
- Long-term conditions: blood pressure, thyroid, type 2 diabetes and asthma reviews when your readings and tests are up to date.
- Results: going through blood test results and deciding what, if anything, to do next.
- Mental health: low mood, anxiety, stress, sleep, and whether medication or talking therapy is the right first step.
Can an online GP prescribe?
Yes, where it is clinically appropriate. The GP writes a private prescription and sends it electronically to a UK pharmacy of your choice; you collect and pay the pharmacy’s private price for the medicine. That price is set by the pharmacy, not the GP, and for many common generics it is below the NHS prescription charge in England. Branded medicines cost more.
Antibiotics
An online GP can prescribe antibiotics when the history and what they can see justify it, exactly as in a surgery. They will not prescribe them for a viral cough or because you have a holiday next week, and a service that promises antibiotics on request is one to avoid. For a suspected urine infection or a clear skin infection a video consultation is usually enough; for a chest that needs listening to, expect to be examined in person.
What cannot be prescribed on a video call
- Controlled drugs in Schedules 2 and 3: strong opioid painkillers, benzodiazepines, ADHD stimulants and similar. These are not started remotely by any reputable UK service.
- Medicines that need a physical check first, for example some blood-pressure or hormone treatments without recent readings or blood tests.
- High-risk repeat prescriptions without the monitoring the medicine requires.
Book a £25 Virtual GP appointment
15-minute video appointment · prescription, fit note or referral letter included · anywhere in the UK
Fit notes and referral letters
A fit note is a clinical judgement made after an assessment, and a video assessment counts. If the GP judges you unfit for work, or fit with adjustments, they issue the Statement of Fitness for Work and send it to you. We cover the rules, the seven-day self-certification period and what employers accept in how to get a sick note online.
A referral letter is an open letter to a named specialty or a named consultant setting out your history and the question to be answered. You can take it to any private hospital or clinic. If you are insured, it is usually the document that opens a claim, so check your insurer’s rules on who may refer.
Blood tests and results
An online GP can decide which blood tests you need and write the request. The draw itself has to happen somewhere: at The Vesey we arrange it at our Sutton Coldfield clinic or at partner clinics across the UK and Ireland, and the results come back to the GP who requested them. Talking through results you already have, from us or from anyone else, is one of the most useful things to do in 15 minutes.
Mental health
A GP can assess low mood, anxiety, stress and sleep problems by video, start or review medication where appropriate, and refer you to talking therapy or a psychiatrist. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, do not wait for an appointment: call 999, NHS 111 and choose the mental health option, or Samaritans on 116 123.
When you need to be seen in person
A good online GP spends part of every consultation deciding whether it should be happening online. Expect to be sent to be seen when:
- something needs examining: a lump, a breast or testicular change, abdominal pain, a suspected fracture, an ear or chest that needs an instrument;
- a child under two has a fever, or a child of any age is drowsy, floppy or breathing fast;
- you have chest pain, severe breathlessness, one-sided weakness, slurred speech, a first seizure or heavy bleeding: call 999, not a GP.
Where you are sent depends on urgency: our Sutton Coldfield clinic, your NHS GP, an urgent treatment centre or A&E. At The Vesey the same GPs work both the clinic and the video service, so a video appointment that turns into “I need to see you” is a booking, not a dead end.
Choosing a service you can trust
Look for a Care Quality Commission registration for the provider, a GMC number for the doctor, a real appointment rather than a questionnaire, and a clear statement of what is and is not included. The Vesey’s Virtual GP publishes all four on one page, with a dated price comparison against other UK providers.
Frequently asked questions
Can an online GP prescribe medication?
Yes, where clinically appropriate. A GMC-registered GP can issue a private prescription on a video call and send it electronically to a UK pharmacy of your choice. You pay the pharmacy for the medicine. Controlled drugs in Schedules 2 and 3 are not started remotely.
Can an online GP prescribe antibiotics?
Yes, when the history and what the GP can see justify it, for example a suspected urine infection or a clear skin infection. They will not prescribe antibiotics for viral illness or on request, and a chest infection may need examination in person first.
Can an online GP refer me to a specialist?
Yes. The GP writes an open referral letter to a specialty or a named consultant that you can take to any private hospital or clinic. At The Vesey the referral letter is included in the £25 Virtual GP appointment.
Can an online GP order blood tests?
Yes. The GP decides which tests you need and requests them. The blood is taken at a clinic; The Vesey arranges this at its Sutton Coldfield clinic or at partner clinics across the UK and Ireland, and the results go back to the requesting GP.
What can an online GP not do?
They cannot examine what the camera cannot show, cannot start controlled drugs, and will not certify a fit note or prescribe without an assessment. Lumps, abdominal pain, suspected fractures, feverish infants and any emergency need to be seen in person; emergencies need 999.
How long is a Virtual GP appointment at The Vesey?
Fifteen minutes, for £25. That is enough for one problem: the GP takes a focused history and agrees a plan. If you have several problems or a complex history, a 30-minute in-clinic GP appointment gives you more time.
This article is general information, not medical advice for your situation. If you have chest pain, severe breathlessness, signs of a stroke or any other emergency, call 999.