Your care and appointments

At a glance

Appointments can be booked online via Carebit, or by contacting the secretarial team. Fees, insurance arrangements, and communication pathways are outlined below so you know what to expect and can plan your care with confidence.

By making an appointment with Dr Stephanie Arnold, you agree to the following booking terms and conditions. These are intended to support high‑quality medical care, clear communication, and a smooth experience for all patients.

Appointments & Consultation Fees

Consultations can be booked online via Carebit, or by contacting the secretaries via email: office@drsteph.co.uk or telephone: 01865 570 869.

Consultation fees

• Initial consultation (standard) – £280

• Initial consultation (complex or genital concerns) – £360

• Follow‑up consultation (short) – £200

• Follow-up consultation (complex or genital concerns) – £220

• Remote (email) clinical consultation – £100

• Repeat prescription request – £50

Follow‑up consultations are available if you have been reviewed within the past 12 months.

If you have not been seen within the last 12 months, a new consultation is required before further treatment or prescribing can continue. This helps ensure that care remains safe, appropriate, and up to date.

Fees, Payment & Responsibility

You agree to pay Dr Stephanie Arnold for all services and materials relating to your care as a private patient. This includes situations where private medical insurance does not fully cover a consultation, investigation, or course of treatment.

Payment is due on before or at the time of the consultant’s invoice. Invoices may be paid online, via Carebit Pay, via bank transfer, or in person at your appointment using the card machine.

If payment is not received within the stated time, interest and/or late payment fees may be applied. In cases of ongoing non‑payment, invoices may be passed to a collection agency, which may apply additional charges.

Deposits

For online bookings, a £50 deposit is taken at the time of booking. This will be deducted from your final invoice. No deposits are required for bookings arranged through the secretarial team.

If you are using private medical insurance, your deposit will either:

• Be refunded once the insurer’s remittance is received, or

• Be applied towards any co‑payment or shortfall for which you are responsible.

Deposits are refunded in line with the cancellation and rescheduling terms below

Cancellations & Rescheduling

We kindly ask for at least 48 hours’ notice if you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment or procedure.

For example, for appointments scheduled on a Tuesday, notice must be received by 11:00 am on the preceding Friday.

Cancellation Fees

• Cancellations made with more than 1 but less than 2 business days’ notice will incur a fee of 50% of the appointment charge (at the self‑pay rate).

• Cancellations made with less than 1 business day’s notice, or non‑attendance, will incur a fee of 100% of the appointment charge (at the self‑pay rate).

Please note that most insurers do not cover cancellation fees. Where applicable, these charges will be invoiced directly to you.

Private Medical Insurance

Dr Stephanie Arnold is recognised by many private medical insurers, including Aviva, AXA, BUPA, Healix, Vitality, and WPA. As policies and levels of cover vary, you are responsible for confirming with your insurer that your policy covers all aspects of your proposed appointment or treatment.

Before your appointment, please provide:

• Your insurer’s name

• Your policy or membership number

• Policy expiry date

• A valid authorisation number for each appointment or treatment episode

You remain personally responsible for any fees not paid by your insurer, including where authorisation is not provided, treatment is only partially covered, or your insurer declines or later reclaims payment. Any outstanding balance will be invoiced directly to you.

Post‑Consultation Email Support (14 Days)

Following your consultation, brief email support is available free of charge for 14 days to help clarify your agreed treatment plan.

This support is intended for short follow‑up questions only and does not include:

• New or worsening symptoms

• Symptom flares

• Changes to treatment or prescriptions

• Ongoing clinical advice

Email/Remote Clinical Consultations

If your query requires clinical assessment, advice, or a management decision outside the post‑consultation support period, this is managed as a remote (email) clinical consultation.

Fee: £100

An invoice is issued in advance, and clinical work is completed once payment has been received. Please note that many insurers do not cover this fee; in this situation you may prefer to book a follow-up consultation instead.

Email consultation requests should be sent to office@drsteph.co.uk.

Repeat Prescriptions

Repeat prescription requests outside the post‑consultation support period incur a £50 fee, provided that:

• The medication can be continued unchanged

• No new symptoms or advice are required

• You have been reviewed within the past 12 months

If reassessment or advice is required, a remote (email) clinical consultation or appointment may be needed instead.

Repeat prescription requests should be sent to office@drsteph.co.uk

Bridging Prescriptions

If you already have a follow‑up appointment booked, a short bridging prescription may sometimes be provided, at the clinician’s discretion, to cover medication until your review.

Bridging prescriptions are time‑limited, for unchanged medication only, and are not a substitute for clinical review.

Clinical Governance

For patient safety and in line with professional standards:

• All clinical advice and prescribing is documented

• Prescriptions are issued only following appropriate clinical review

• Clinical advice cannot be provided without the relevant consultation or fee

If you have any questions about appointments or booking arrangements, Dr Steph and the team are always happy to help - we want you to feel comfortable, so please just ask!

By booking an appointment or requesting clinical advice, you confirm that you have read and agree to these terms and conditions.