Traditional NHS primary care is overwhelmed

Traditionally, NHS primary care has offered eligible patients direct access to highly trained general practitioners. Patients could call up their local practice, arrange an appointment with their regular GP and be seen face-to-face that day - the UK's primary care system was the envy of the world. However, with an increasingly aging population and pressures on funding, this model has been changed and is increasingly replaced with larger practices with offering a less personal service, accessed by digital triage and delivered by paramedical healthcare practitioners, each specialised in their own field.

Private GP offers an alternative

Private general practice offers an alternative path for patients seeking primary care services. Still largely run and delivered by GPs who offer a cradle to grave service to their patients. In a GP appointment you may be able to consult, have tests such as an ecg, have a blood test, arrange a referral and be issued with a prescription. And as your GP gets to know you within a relationship built on care over months or years, they are able to work with you to achieve optimal fitness in the broadest sense of the word.

Why a subscription is the right approach

Mayfield Clinic was founded in Oxford in 2009, by GPs seeking to offer patients direct access to experienced general practice clinicians in an unrushed private setting. We offered a 'fee per appointment' model ever since. This works well but our GPs often hesitate before asking patients to come in or to come back because of concerns about cost. A membership which offers as many appointments per year as most of our patients ever use seemed like a better idea. We want to minimise the risk of scenarios where the GP has ended up saying (or thinking) 'why didn't you come in sooner'?

It is with in mind that in 2024 we launched the Mayfield Clinic Core & Premium Subscriptions. These Memberships are designed around a fixed monthly fee to cover your annual GP appointments. The schemes ensure that once committed and registered as a Core or Premium Subscriber, we hope that our patients will feel confident to access appointments as soon as possible, and our GPs won't be worried about asking patients to come in for follow up when they think it is needed.

How it works for you

Core membership - Join the Clinic and become a registered patient. Receive an annual health and exercise consultation, out of hours care, and discounted fees.

Premium membership - All of the benefits of Core membership, and in addition up to 10 GP consultations per annum and 20% off all pathology and tests.

Standard membership - All of the benefits of Core membership, with the addition of 6 mental health appointments per annum, 30 gym visits at our partner gym in Summertown, and 5 personal training sessions.

Our clinicians are generally available same-day, either in-person or remotely. Our clinicians work as a team, but you have the flexibility to align yourself with a specific clinician should you wish.