Why should you use find a doctor?
Find a doctor allows you to see information about Doctors which they have provided and which they can edit and amend to ensure it is up to date and accurate.
Find a doctor is the only comprehensive source of independent information about Doctors. The information is taken from publicly available data or from additional information provided by the Doctors themselves.
What will it tell me?
Using find a doctor will tell you which Doctors practice in your area, or any other area you choose to search for. If you know the medical speciality you are interested in then you can limit your search.
If you know the name and basic details about a Doctor then you can use find a doctor to check your own information and also to see if any additional information has been made available by the Doctor themselves .
How do I know it is accurate?
The information we provide generally comes from the Doctors themselves and it is impossible for us to check this in detail. We do not claim to guarantee any information and we make no comment at all on any Doctor nor do we make any kind of recommendation.
The site only deals with Doctors who are Registered with the General Medical Council. Before making any decisions you will naturally wish to make further checks.
What are specialities?
This is a medical term which defines the kind of work any particular Doctor specialises in. Some Doctors may have more than one speciality. If you are unsure about what speciality you need to enquire about, there are many excellent web sites which can help you, such as NHS Choices.
If you are still unsure of the relevant speciality you can still use find a doctor to identify all the Doctors in your chosen area which can help you narrow down your enquiries. You may also want to look at our search help page.
What else should I do?
Before making any decisions about contacting a Consultant via the NHS, you will need to visit your General Practitioner and get their advice. You are entitled to choose (within some limits) which Consultant you are sent to, but this must be done initially through your GP. If you wish to see a Consultant or GP privately you should contact them directly for their advice.
If your enquiry is about a GP then we suggest you may wish to contact the surgery directly and ask for information about the practice and how you might Register with them. Most practices will have information available to give to you and will help you through any registration process.
Most NHS and private hospitals produce information about their Consultants and there are also other information sites you may wish to use.
What rights do I have to choose?
The rights of patients within the NHS will be fully set out in the NHS Constitution which will come fully into Law later this year. In general you have the right to choose your GP, provided the practice is not full.
If you are referred by your GP for an appointment with a Consultant (usually at a NHS Hospital) then under the Choose and Book scheme you have some choice over where you will be seen. You will wish to discuss this with your GP at the time.
Why should I check GMC Registration?
Unless a Doctor is registered with the GMC they cannot practice in this country; knowing they are registered is an important safeguard. We only correspond with Doctors through the postal address at which they are registered which helps to prevent any incorrect entries on our site.
For Doctors
Where has the information about me come from?
The basic information on www.findadoctororg.uk is taken from publicly available sources. Doctors may then provide additional information which they control, once they have registered with us.
Once registered Doctors are then fully in control of what appears on find a doctor as far as their own entry is concerned. We do not edit entries and your entry cannot be altered by anyone else.
How do I find out if I am included on the database?
If you enter your name and speciality into the search box on the Home Page you will be able to find whether or not you have an entry.
How can I register on find a doctor?
The process is very simple and shown on the web site. You contact us through the site by providing your surname and GMC Registration Number. We only respond to the address at which you are registered with the GMC, and we send the user id and password to that postal address. Once you have the user id and password you use the web site to complete registration, after which you are free to edit or enhance your entry.
How can I add additional information to my entry?
It is simple once you have been registered to add as much additional information as you think is appropriate. You may also provide a link to your own web site or web page if you have one.
There is no limit on the amount of information you can provide but obviously too much text may be difficult for patients to deal with.
What should I do if the information shown about me is wrong?
If you register with us you can use the web site itself to make corrections, except to name and GMC Number. If you have any others problems then you will need to contact us directly, as set out on the Contacts page of the web site.
What should I do if I notice information on a colleague is wrong?
The best course of action would be to contact them and advise them that they can access the site and change their entry. If you are unable to do this, or if you believe the error is serious then you may wish to contact us.