Most services are self-referral — you can book directly without a letter from your GP or another clinician. This includes all adult ultrasound scans, blood tests, REMS bone density, and specialist consultations.

Children’s ultrasound scans are the exception: a doctor’s referral is mandatory before booking. Please send it to contact@acornprivateclinic.co.uk.

For injections (steroid, PRP, hyaluronic acid, Arthrosamid etc.), a referral is preferred but not mandatory. If you have one, bring it or email it in advance. If you don’t, the consultant will assess on the day whether the injection is clinically appropriate.

If you’re unsure which service or appointment type is right for you, please speak to our medical advisor before booking — we’d rather help you get it right first time. You can reach us on WhatsApp, by calling 02921 999 300, or by emailing contact@acornprivateclinic.co.uk.

Booking the wrong appointment type means it may not go ahead as planned — we’d need to rebook you with the right consultant, which may be on a different day. A quick chat before you book avoids this.

We’re recognised by most UK insurers including Bupa, AXA, Vitality, WPA and Benenden. Insurers have different rules about which services are covered and whether they need pre-authorisation — please check with your insurer before your appointment to avoid an unexpected bill.

You can still book with us first and sort out insurance afterwards; we’ll provide a detailed receipt for you to submit to your insurer.

A £50 deposit is required to secure any appointment, taken on the booking page when you book. The balance is taken at the clinic on the day of your appointment. We accept card, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

For health packages (Gold Health Screen, Well Person + GP Review, Bone Health Package) you pay the full package price upfront when you book the first appointment — the remaining appointments are scheduled at the clinic on the day of your first visit.

Yes. When you reach our Cliniko booking page you can enter the details of the person attending, even if the card paying is yours. For children’s appointments a parent or guardian must accompany the child.

If the booking needs adjustments or you’d prefer us to handle it by phone, call 02921 999 300 and our team will sort it.

We ask for at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule — you can do this using the link in your confirmation email, by calling 02921 999 300, or by messaging us on WhatsApp.

Cancellations or rescheduling within 24 hours of the appointment mean the £50 deposit is non-refundable. If you booked a health package, the full package price is non-refundable within 24 hours of the first appointment.

No. Acorn Private Clinic is a private clinic — you’re paying directly for quick access to specialists, same-week appointments, and more time with your clinician. It doesn’t replace NHS care; if you need emergency treatment please call 999 or go to A&E.

We do liaise with NHS GPs where helpful — for example, sending reports back to your GP if you’d like us to.

For ultrasound scans, results and images are explained on the day and a written report is sent to you (and your GP, if you’d like) within a few working days.

For blood tests, results are typically available within 24–72 hours depending on the panel. Interpretation by a GP isn’t included in the blood test price — you can book a separate GP consultation to discuss results if you’d like them reviewed.

We aim to offer same-week GP appointments, often same-day depending on availability. Bookings can be made on this site or by calling 02921 999 300.

We also offer 15-minute virtual GP appointments for quicker access when you don’t need to be seen in person.