Fee structure 2023
We encourage all our newly registered patients to see both one of our Functional Medicine Doctors and one of our Functional Medicine Dietitians to take advantage of the wealth of their combined clinical knowledge and expertise. Since the early days of their professional collaboration, Daniela and Lynda observed the best outcomes in patients who consulted them jointly. This does not come as a surprise: the functional medical model is rooted in personalised nutritional interventions based on research and medical evaluations that are unique for each patient. The ability to combine medical expertise with nutritional expertise is the key to successful outcomes. Indeed, the Institute for Functional Medicine encourages this type of combined approach for this very reason.
However, we understand that for some patients a combined approach is not suited to their needs. In this case, we offer a separate solo fee structure for first appointments that reflects the extra time required to cover aspects of the initial assessment normally carried out by the other professional in the team.
A 15 min Discovery call is suggested to see whether Functional Medicine is a suitable approach for you. On booking a Discovery Consultation we ask for a £50 deposit which will be deducted from your first appointment with either Dr Mo and Dr Brunker. If you do not go on to book an appointment this deposit is non-refundable and covers the cost of time taken for the phone consultation. If you are not available when the doctor calls you for this consultation the deposit is non-refundable unless you cancel or postpone the call within 24 hours.
New patient appointments are typically on Tuesday and Thursday mornings with a 9.30 am start time. Full payment is required seven days in advance for a new patient appointment.
A typical Functional Medicine episode from first assessment to conclusion will require two follow-ups with the doctor and four to five follow-ups with dietitian in a 6-month period. Naturally, there is much variation on this typical scenario, with some patients requiring less input, and some more.
Follow-up fees are the same whether the first assessment was combined or solo.
Prior to initial consultation
To make use of the lead time to the first consultation and allow all appropriate data gathering, during the Discovery Call we typically recommend a comprehensive stool analysis to be done ahead of the initial appointment.
This has the advantage of avoiding delays in treatment whilst waiting for test results to be available. Treatment is therefore tailored specifically to you and initiated at the initial appointment. Whilst testing ahead of the first consultation is not mandatory, and may in some limited cases not be appropriate, the majority of our patients choose to run tests that are discussed during the Discovery Call.
Should your clinician see the need for further tests, this will be discussed at the initial consultation and the information will be added to your report. We use a variety of clinically relevant tests and a list of typical tests is available upon request. The list is not exhaustive and may not be specifically relevant to each individual; it does, however, give an idea of the range of potential costs involved. DOWNLOAD LIST OF TESTS
Initial combined assessment fee:
Total £975
FM GP: £600
FM Dietitian: £375
Duration approximately: 2 1/2 hours. You will receive a written Management Plan following the appointment.
What is included:
Consultation fees cover either virtual or face-to-face meetings, review of medical history/reports/correspondence, relevant patient-specific research, a management plan, the issuing of prescriptions generated during the consultation. Where possible, we prefer the first consultation to be face-to-face, however subsequent follow-up consultations may be done remotely via Zoom, Skype, phone, or WhatsApp.
Consultation fees cover either virtual or face-to-face meetings, review of previous dietary, nutritional and medical history, the writing up of tailored diet and/or supplement prescriptions, ordering relevant tests and analysing the results. Where possible, we prefer the first consultation to be face-to-face, however subsequent follow-up consultations may be done remotely via Zoom, Skype, phone, or WhatsApp.
Fees do not include the cost of tests or supplements. An initial assessment is required before we may be able to advise on which tests and/or supplements may be needed. Some tests are invoiced directly by FMW (eg TDL or Medichecks blood tests). In this case we require payment in advance.
Our appointments are much longer than standard medical visits, therefore cancellations are significant interruptions to our Clinic. For this reason, we require a MINIMUM 3 DAYS’ NOTICE for cancellation.
Payment in full for the first appointment is required at least 7 days in advance. The deposit will only be refunded if the appointment is cancelled with more than 3 days’ notice. Additionally, there will be a 100% charge for no-shows or late cancellations. Exceptional circumstances may apply. Please refer to FMW Cancellation Policy.
Initial solo appointment fees:
Functional Medicine GP £370 per hour/ pro rata (typically 2 hours)
Functional Medicine Dietitian £275 (75 Minutes)
Follow-up appointments (after your initial assessment)
Standard fees
The first follow-up is billed at a minimum of 60 minutes. Subsequent follow-ups are of variable duration, and typically around 30 minutes. Joint follow-up is typically around 60-75 minutes.
We encourage patients to book joint follow-up appointments at various points in their treatment journey, to make best use of the time available, and achieve better outcomes. This would typically occur at the end of a specific phase in treatment, when next steps in management are to be decided. Our clinicians will advise on when joint follow-up appointments are appropriate or due. A typical joint appointment lasts 60 minutes, as highlighted below, but could be longer or shorter, according to patient need.
20 minutes £124
30 minutes £185
45 minutes £277
60 minutes £370 (this usually applies to joint follow-up appointment)
75 minutes £462
90 minutes £555
30 minutes £100
45 minutes £150
60 minutes £200
60 minutes Results Review £200
60 minutes joint follow-up £200
75 Minutes £250
90 minutes £300
Regular Phlebotomy – £35
Phlebotomy with Centrifuge – £45
Private prescriptions not included in a consultation – £25
Private prescription renewal (no changes)
If changes are required: A short consultation will be required (£110) and the prescription fee will be included in this consultation fee – £15
Updating and changing supplement schedules – £30
Admin per 15-minute email correspondence, phone call etc – £30
Letters to third parties (insurance, other healthcare professionals, employers, etc). Fees dependent upon time spent – £30 – £60
Combined first assessment:
Dr Mo £250 per hour pro rata
Lynda Mallinson £375
You may cancel a follow-up appointment at any time on giving 24 hours’ notice. You may cancel any follow-up appointment at any time by notifying us in writing or by telephone.
You will not be charged if you cancel a follow-up appointment up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time of the relevant appointment. There will be a 100% charge for no-shows or late cancellations. Exceptional circumstances may apply. Please refer to FMW Cancellation Policy.
We encourage our patients to contact us via their secure patient portal. Please refer to FMW Communications Policy.
NOTE: If there is a need for longer discussion or more complex answers, please book a follow-up appointment. Questions requiring more than a 5-minute response fit this scenario. Additionally, if it has been longer than 8 weeks since your last appointment, an email exchange may not best suit your clinical needs, and a follow-up appointment would be more appropriate.
We require that all new patients complete and return their new patient paperwork. The below items are for completion and will be attached to your appointment confirmation email. These must be completed and returned at least 3 days in advance of your appointment:
- Pre-Appointment Form
- Medical Symptoms Questionnaire
- 3 Day Food Diary
- BRIEF GP SUMMARY
We require details of your NHS GP or primary care giver and would need an “Brief Summary” from your GP. You may be able to obtain this if you are registered online with your GP or you can call your surgery and request that they either print one for collection or email it to you. You can request a similar report from your primary care giver if you do not have an NHS GP. This information is to be available by your first appointment. Some NHS GP Surgeries can take approximately 14 days to provide this information. - FMW ELECTRONIC CONSENT FORM
The FMW Electronic Consent Form will be added to your secure patient portal. Patients MUST read and accept the items within this consent form to proceed with their appointment.
The new patient forms and questionnaires must be completed and returned NO LATER THAN 3 WORKING DAYS prior to the appointment. If they are not received within this time frame, we will reschedule the appointment and cancellation fees will apply.
Please refer to FMW Privacy Policy.
Every member of staff whether clinical or administrative is bound by rules of confidentiality.
Exceptions to confidentiality rules apply if there is disclosure by you of any risk or intention of self-harm or harm to others.
Your records are kept safely, and their contents may not be disclosed to anyone without your authorisation, or unless the law authorises or compels us to do so. You are required to sign and return your confidentiality statement which will be stored in your patient portal.
The actual time spent researching your individual case is considerably longer than the time you will be charged for. Functional Medicine differs from the conventional approach, in that it tries to find personalised answers to your very specific case.
In the conventional setting, it is rare for any in-depth research to be carried out. The clinician will apply a well- rehearsed, standard management protocol to all patients presenting with the same symptoms. A typical 20-minute consultation with a conventional consultant will cost around £150-200, and will result perhaps in a prescription, some standard investigations and a single management letter.
The Functional approach could not be more different. Your first consultation with one of our FM GPs or with one of our FM Dietitians is considerably longer than a standard consultation. This is because the key to identifying the root cause of disease is to take a very detailed history.
The work begins in earnest at this point: analysis of existing results, and in-depth reference to existing literature and publication/s that help us explain and manage your condition. You are unique, your medical issues are unique, so a unique solution must be sought. Rarely is there a quick answer or a quick fix. It may take many hours for the clinicians to do this unique and personalised research. Our goal is to find the best possible solution for you, whatever time it takes.
In our experience, a ‘typical’ functional medicine management plan would take about 6 months, during which time you would see one of our FM GPs 2-3 times, and one of our FM Dietitians 5-6 times. Changes in symptoms may be seen within the first few weeks.
Naturally, this will vary depending on the level of complexity of each person’s presentation, and on individual needs. Every person has a different pace of change. We work to suit our patients’ needs and expectations.
