I would like to welcome you to my practice.

I look forward to assisting you to better health and to a productive working partnership. Many people find the prospect of a consultation with a psychiatrist rather daunting and I hope the following may help alleviate the process. Please take the time to read this information to help you make better use of the services I offer. Hopefully it will give you the answers to many frequently asked questions about my practice.

As a psychiatrist, I am a medically qualified doctor and I specialise in the assessment and treatment of conditions that affect mental health. Unlike a psychologist or psychotherapist, I am able to prescribe medication if it is warranted. I have been trained to manage a wide range of psychological problems including depressive and anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, postnatal mental health issues and numerous other conditions that affect one’s psychological wellbeing. Please do not feel stigmatised about seeking help.

In September 2018, I was elected to Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists as a mark of distinction and in recognition of the significant contribution I have made to the core purpose of the College throughout my career.

I am a private, self-employed general adult psychiatrist and can treat patients aged between 18-65 years. I am based at The Priory Hospital Roehampton which is the UK’s largest private psychiatric hospital with a number of different departments which can deliver most types of psychiatric care.

Please be mindful that as a private doctor, I can only provide treatment within the private sector. There are likely to be a wide-range of other options available to manage your health concerns within the NHS, especially if you require inpatient treatment for perinatal mental ill health. I could provide you some basic information about these if you request, but would advise you to explore the options in more detail with your NHS GP if you wish to pursue them.

The initial consultation usually takes about an hour during which you can tell me about your symptoms and circumstances that you feel might be contributing to the situation you present with. I will use the time to ask you about your background, your upbringing and your relationships as these will usually have had some bearing on your current situation. It would also be useful if you could provide me with a list of current medication (if any) that you may be taking. The frequency of follow-up appointments will vary according to your clinical need and usually lasts up to half an hour. Following psychiatric assessment and evaluation, I will discuss a formulation and management plan with you.

Most patients I see invariably get referred for psychological therapy so that they can learn to use skills to help them overcome their current difficulties or past trauma as well as gain additional ways of dealing with future circumstances that could prove troublesome. I refer to a variety of psychotherapists to help you with this task and therapy can include Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, supportive counselling, anxiety management techniques and relaxation training amongst others. Family and couple/relationship therapy can also be arranged if required. In addition to individual therapy, I am able to refer patients to attend a selection of psychological group therapies as a day patient at The Priory Hospital Roehampton.

If your condition is more serious and requires inpatient treatment, I can arrange for your admission to The Priory Hospital Roehampton. I usually see my inpatients approximately twice a week.

In keeping with General Medical Council guidelines, I follow good medical practice of communicating with your NHS GP as well as other professionals including psychotherapists, involved in your care. I will routinely send you copies of letters but you are welcome to opt out from receiving these at any stage if requested. If you would prefer not to have such detailed assessment reports sent, please let me know and I will abbreviate accordingly. If medication is prescribed by me, it is very important for your GP to know about it as it may interact with other medications that the GP might wish to prescribe for you. In addition, obtaining medication from your NHS GP is usually considerably cheaper than dispensing a private prescription issued by me.

My permanent PA is Helen Morrissey. If you wish to book/change an appointment or if you have any queries about insurance companies/invoice payments, please contact Helen (+44 20 8392 4203 or helenmorrissey@priorygroup.com or info@drnatashabijlani.co.uk) during weekdays between the hours of 8am to 4pm. If you need to contact me between appointments any clinical matters please telephone or email Helen who will pass this on to me. Please note that I do not provide an emergency service outside of normal working hours.

I will do my very best to inform you of various treatment options and discuss the ‘pros and cons’ of each so that your views can be fully taken into account before we reach a consensual agreement on your management plan. If you are unhappy with any aspect of your care, please feel free to contact me as soon as you can so that any issues can be resolved as quickly as possible. Should you remain dissatisfied, you can share your concerns by email to complaints@priorygroup.com

I welcome feedback about my practice.

More information about my practice, background and media contributions can be obtained via my website: www.drnatashabijlani.co.uk

Consultations and Fees:

I am able to see patients who self-fund, as well as those covered by healthcare insurance. I am accredited by all the major UK healthcare insurers (BUPA, AXA PPP, Cigna, Pru Health, AVIVA, Simply Health and WPA). If you wish to claim your consultation and treatment through your insurance policy, you will need to obtain a “pre-authorisation code” from your health insurer prior to the appointment. You will also need to provide me with a referral letter from your GP to access insurance funding.

For self-funding patients, all fees including for the initial consultation and follow up appointments, will be payable on the day of the consultation.

If you are claiming against Private Medical Insurance, please contact your provider prior to your appointment to obtain authorisation for the appointment and to establish the level of your cover, including any excess fee, which may be charged. On the day of your appointment you may be asked to pay for the consultation in full, at which time you will be issued with a receipt. It is this receipt that you need to reclaim the fees from your insurer.

For the avoidance of any doubt, I would like to clarify that my contract is with you and not with your insurance provider. The fees payable are ultimately your responsibility and I cannot become involved in correspondence with your insurance provider on your behalf regarding fees. It is your responsibility to inform me about any changes to your insurance status. Please note that some insurers require a written referral letter from your GP in order for you to make a claim. I may be required to provide a short report or complete a claim form for your insurer and will readily do so for no extra charge.

I provide video consultations via Zoom on Tuesdays (and occasionally on Wednesdays), in addition to “in person” appointments at the Priory Hospital Roehampton on Monday mornings and Thursday mornings.

Please familiarise yourself with using Zoom before your appointment to avoid delays in establishing communication with me.

I am usually punctual but may occasionally be delayed in consultations, given the nature of the conditions I treat. If I am unable to reach you, and/or don’t call within 10 minutes of your appointment time, you should email or call my secretary as mentioned above and ask to be connected to me. If I am delayed, I will ensure you get your full appointment but if you leave before waiting (or being available) for 30 minutes, the full charge for the consultation will be payable by you.

Please ensure that you are in the UK at the time of your appointments with me. Due to medical indemnity restrictions, I cannot hold clinical consultations with you if you are abroad.

Following initial assessment, I will arrange to meet you for regular reviews, the frequency of which will depend on your individual circumstances such as severity of symptoms. If you do not attend for over 3 months, in the absence of prior arrangement with me, I will consider you as having self-discharged from my care, back to that of your GP and if you wish to resume treatment at a later date, an hour-long consultation will be required so that I can obtain a detailed update.

I will be utilising a note taking tool called Heidi to accurately and efficiently capture the details of our discussions and the outcomes of our appointments. Heidi ensures that we can focus more on our conversation and less on manual note taking, enhancing the quality of care you receive. Your consent is crucial for me to use this technology. Please understand that your information will be handled with the utmost care, and Heidi’s use is aimed solely at improving your healthcare experience.

For more information visit heidihealth.com

By signing this consent form, you are agreeing to allow me to use Heidi during your consultation.

Please contact my secretary if you have any queries or requests regarding this.

Cancellation Policy:

You are required to give at least 2 clear working days’ notice to my secretary if you wish to cancel or change your appointment otherwise you will be charged in full for the missed appointment.

Please note that most health insurance companies will not generally cover the cancellation fee and you will be liable for this.

Day Care Patients – Via Insurance:

If you do not attend your programmed day care therapy session/s your insurer will not pay for your day care review with me and the fee for your appointment with me during that period will then be charged to you at my usual “follow up” rate.

Charges:

*The fee may differ should there be a pre-arranged fixed rate with your insurance company.

*The fee for self-funding patients is payable at the time of booking the assessment appointment and on the day of follow-up appointments.

I do not usually charge for very brief communications, via telephone or email but recommend that you book a follow-up appointment if you wish to discuss any clinical issues. Emails are not a secure method of communication and should not be used for urgent, complex or sensitive matters. Please note that it may not be possible for me to read emails prior to your consultation and that I will be able to only offer very limited professional advice in the absence of a thorough consultation.

Terms And Conditions Of Payment:

In the absence of prior written agreement to the contrary, payment of my charges is required on receipt of my invoice. Failure to make payment within 28 days of the due date will result in the matter being referred to my Debt Collection Agents whose charges will be added to, and payable with the invoice debt.

Please note that Bijlani Consulting Ltd no longer accepts personal cheques.

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR):

My secretary is based at the Priory Hospital Roehampton and your data will be stored on Priory’s electronic Care Notes system. I will send letters summarising consultations with you by post or encrypted e-mail to people you consent to having a copy, such as your GP and psychotherapist, as well as you, (unless you request to opt out from receiving these). Copies of the letters will remain on Priory Care Notes system and in paper files, which I will store securely for the legally required length of time. My secretary will also securely retain your payment details including insurance company policy numbers and credit card details, until you are discharged from my care.

You will be asked to sign a consent form (Priory H Form: 34E) at your first appointment to allow me to process your data in this manner and to confirm whether you wish me to utilise e-mail to communicate with you rather than post.