5 minute read · Updated 2026-09-02
What to expect at your first private GP appointment
Book 30 minutes if it is your first visit. Bring a medicine list, your photo ID for reports, and the one or two things you actually need answered.
Arrive a few minutes early at Southside Healthcare, 41 High Street, Lurgan. Check in at reception. If you are coming from Craigavon, Portadown, Banbridge or Belfast, use the times on the local pages so you are not rushing the appointment you just paid for.
Book 30 minutes for a first visit unless you are sure you have one small issue. Fifteen minutes is enough for a single, focused concern. Forty-five minutes is for a longer history. The GP will not pretend 15 minutes is 45.
Bring a list of medicines, allergies, and any recent hospital or clinic letters. If you need a driving or sports medical, bring the form. If you want us to write to your NHS GP, say so at the start.
The appointment itself is a conversation and, if needed, an examination. You should leave knowing the plan: a prescription, a test, a referral, watchful waiting, or “this is an NHS or emergency problem”. We will not sell you a package you do not need.
After the visit, private prescriptions are collected from a pharmacy. Reports are typed after the appointment, usually within a few working days. If we have asked you to book bloods or a scan, those may happen at Friends Medical Service in the same building or family of clinics.
If you leave still unsure, call the clinic. A first appointment is allowed to raise more questions than it answers, as long as the next step is named.