Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about booking, appointments, fees and insurance
Booking and access
How do I know if my pain is inflammatory?
Inflammatory pain tends to be stiffest first thing, for more than half an hour after waking, and to ease with movement; a joint that is swollen, or warm and tender to press, is the strongest sign. Our three-minute check, Is my pain inflammatory?, asks about the pattern and says who to see and how soon.
Do I need a GP referral?
No referral is needed to be seen here. If you are using private medical insurance, your insurer will usually want a referral from your GP, or a similar document, and a pre-authorisation number before your visit; our insurance guide explains the steps.
How quickly can I be seen?
Next-working-day appointments can almost always be arranged, and same-day appointments are sometimes possible. Urgent requests are given priority, so please tell the practice if yours is urgent. Our clinic hours are 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday. The practice is not an emergency service. In an emergency call 999 or go to your nearest emergency department. For urgent advice when the practice is closed, call NHS 111.
Can I have a video or telephone appointment?
As a rule, new assessments are in person, so that the examination and point-of-care ultrasound can happen in the same visit. Video and telephone consultations are offered for follow-ups and for discussing results, where Dr Borukhson considers them appropriate and you agree; video consultations use Microsoft Teams, and the fee is the same as for the equivalent consultation in person. Section 10 of our terms and conditions explains, including what we can offer if you are outside the United Kingdom.
What is your cancellation policy?
Please give at least 48 hours' notice to cancel or rearrange, and tell the practice, not the hospital, by telephone, email or WhatsApp. With 48 hours' notice or more there is no charge, and anything you have paid is refunded in full or carried to a new appointment, as you prefer. With less than 48 hours' notice but at least 24 hours, 50% of the fee for the appointment is charged; with less than 24 hours' notice, or if you do not attend, the full fee. Cancellation fees are not usually reimbursable by insurers. If you booked by telephone, email, WhatsApp or through this website, you also have a legal right to cancel within 14 days after the day you booked, before the appointment, without charge; section 9 of our terms and conditions explains. We understand that emergencies happen: contact the practice as early as you can and we will always take genuine circumstances into account. We do not apply these charges where a disability or an access need prevented you from giving notice.
Can I have my consultation in Russian or Ukrainian?
Yes. Dr Borukhson is a native Russian and Ukrainian speaker and is happy to consult in either language, as well as in English, so you can discuss your care in whichever language you are most comfortable with. If you need an interpreter for another language, tell us when you book; we will ask the hospital what can be arranged and whether there is a charge.
I have a disability or an access need. What can you arrange?
Tell us when you book, or at any time. We make reasonable adjustments at no charge, including information in another format, and communication support you need because of a disability, such as a British Sign Language interpreter, is free. You are welcome to bring someone with you, and a chaperone is available on request for any examination, scan or injection (section 11). Section 3 of our terms and conditions explains.
Is there a minimum age?
Yes. The practice treats adults only: you must be 18 or over on the day of your appointment. Section 3 of our terms and conditions explains.
Your appointment
How long does an appointment last?
A new appointment is allocated an hour, sometimes more; a follow-up is allocated half an hour, or an hour where a scan or a procedure may be needed. Please arrive at least five minutes early, as the hospital asks, for its registration. If you arrive late, Dr Borukhson sees you for the time that remains; more than 20 minutes late for a new appointment, or more than 10 minutes late for a follow-up, and the appointment is rebooked and counts as a missed appointment, for which the full fee is charged (section 9), unless she can still see you usefully in the time left. Section 4 of our terms and conditions explains.
Will I be scanned at my first appointment?
Where it would help, Dr Borukhson performs point-of-care ultrasound during the consultation itself, so the scan informs the assessment on the day rather than being arranged separately. The scan has a fee of its own, charged in addition to the consultation fee and agreed with you before it is done; our fees page gives it. Our one-stop ultrasound clinic page explains how the clinic runs.
Can I have an injection on the same day?
Often, yes. Where an ultrasound-guided injection is clinically appropriate, it can usually be carried out within the same visit, once its purpose, its risks and its fee have been discussed and agreed with you; the fee is in addition to the consultation fee, and our fees page gives it; the hospital usually makes a charge of its own for the procedure as well, which we tell you before you agree. Our guide to ultrasound-guided injections explains what the injection involves.
Will I be given the ultrasound images?
Not usually. The scan during your consultation is point-of-care ultrasound: Dr Borukhson looks at the relevant joints or tendons in real time to inform her assessment on the day, and images are not recorded or kept unless arranged with you beforehand. Your clinical notes and clinic letter record what was scanned, what was found and what was decided. If you would like images, tell the practice when you book, before your appointment; section 12 of our terms and conditions explains what can be arranged.
What should I bring?
Any referral letter, a list of the medicines you take, and copies of recent test results or imaging reports if you have them; if you are claiming on insurance, your pre-authorisation number and membership number as well. Our guide to your first appointment covers this in more detail.
Where do clinics take place?
Dr Borukhson sees private patients at the private facilities run by Imperial College Healthcare Private Care at three London hospitals: The Thames View at Charing Cross Hospital, The Sainsbury Wing at Hammersmith Hospital, and The Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital. The fees are the same at all three, and your confirmation tells you where your appointment is; our locations page gives directions. NHS appointments are arranged through your GP via the usual referral route, not through the practice.
How do I get a repeat prescription between appointments?
A prescription written during your consultation is included in the fee. Between appointments, if you are under Dr Borukhson's active care (reviewed within the last six months), you can ask for a repeat by emailing prescriptions@rcl.london with your name, date of birth and the medication you need. A repeat carries a £25 administration fee and is usually ready within 2 to 3 working days, so please ask at least a week before you run out; if you need one more quickly, contact the practice, as a same-day prescription can usually be arranged. The cost of the medicine itself is separate, and the service is not an emergency service: if you are seriously unwell, seek urgent medical care. Section 13 of our terms and conditions explains, including where a prescription can be dispensed and what Dr Borukhson can ask your GP to continue.
Fees and insurance
How much does a consultation cost?
A new appointment is £280 and a follow-up £200, the same at all three hospitals and the same by video or telephone; no VAT is charged. The fee covers the consultation itself, including the examination, Dr Borukhson's opinion and plan, any prescription written during it and the clinic letter; point-of-care ultrasound and any procedure performed are charged in addition, at the fees on our fees page, and are always discussed and agreed with you first. Blood tests, and any imaging the hospital carries out, are charged by the hospital at its own rates, to you or to your insurer, and the hospital usually makes a charge of its own for an injection as well, which we tell you before you agree to it.
How and when do I pay?
If you are paying for yourself, the consultation fee is paid when you book, and your appointment is booked when we receive it. You can pay by bank transfer, or by debit or credit card, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, through the secure payment link we send you; we do not accept cash, and no method carries a charge. Fees for ultrasound, injections or other procedures agreed on the day are invoiced after the appointment and are due within 14 days of the invoice, and you receive a receipted invoice for every payment. If you are using insurance, we invoice your insurer directly once the appointment is pre-authorised. Section 6 of our terms and conditions explains, including our bank details and how to check them.
Is Dr Borukhson recognised by my insurer?
Dr Borukhson is fee assured with every insurer she works with: where your policy covers the appointment and it has been pre-authorised, her consultation fee is covered in full with no shortfall for you, though any excess your policy carries remains yours. Once the appointment is pre-authorised we invoice your insurer directly and you pay us nothing on the day; any excess is asked of you after your insurer has settled. Check the fees page for the list of recognised insurers, and obtain pre-authorisation from your insurer before your visit; that is your responsibility as the policyholder.
My care is paid for by an embassy or another sponsor. What do you need?
Please arrange for a Letter of Guarantee covering Dr Borukhson's fees to reach the practice before your first appointment; it should name you, give a settlement contact at the sponsor, and say what is covered. The hospital's charges are arranged separately with the hospital's international office. If one is not in place, we ask you to pay on the day and reclaim the cost from your sponsor; we provide the receipted invoice and any supporting paperwork you need. A charge for a late cancellation or a missed appointment is yours to pay unless the Letter of Guarantee covers it; section 8 of our terms and conditions explains.
Will my GP be kept informed?
Yes. After each appointment a clinic letter goes to your GP as part of your care, in line with GMC guidance, unless you tell us you object, and you receive a copy.
What if something goes wrong?
Tell us. A complaint about the practice, its administration, its invoices or the care Dr Borukhson has given can be made by email to complaints@rcl.london or by post to our registered office; we acknowledge it within three working days and answer in full within 20 working days, or tell you if we need longer and why. A complaint never affects the care you receive. Section 18 of our terms and conditions gives the full route, including the hospital's own procedure and the independent bodies you can go to.
Where can I read your full terms?
Our terms and conditions set out in full how appointments are booked, paid for, cancelled and rearranged, what the fees cover, how we handle prescriptions, letters and results, and what to do if something goes wrong; a copy comes with your booking confirmation. Our privacy policy explains how we handle information about you.
Ready to book, or still unsure?
The practice team is happy to answer anything not covered here, and next-working-day appointments can almost always be arranged
Book an appointment