Frequently asked questions

Telepsychiatry is psychiatric care delivered over a secure video connection. You speak with a consultant psychiatrist in real time from your own home, and the consultation covers the same ground as a face-to-face appointment: history, symptoms, risk, diagnosis and a treatment plan.

For most common mental health conditions, published reviews have found that video assessments are reliable and that patients are generally as satisfied as with in-person care. Your psychiatrist will tell you if they think a face-to-face assessment or a different service would suit you better.

No. You can book a private assessment directly with Happy Clinic without a referral. With your consent, a summary is usually sent to your GP afterwards so your records stay joined up.

Telepsychiatry.co.uk is an information site and does not provide clinical care itself. Appointments are provided by Happy Clinic, the CQC-regulated provider, and consultations are carried out by GMC-registered UK consultant psychiatrists.

A smartphone, tablet or computer with a camera and microphone, a stable internet connection, and a private space where you will not be overheard. Headphones help with privacy. You will receive joining instructions before the appointment.

Appointments are often available within a few days, depending on clinician availability and the type of assessment you need.

Yes, where it is clinically appropriate and safe. Prescriptions issued during an assessment or follow-up are included in the appointment fee, but pharmacy dispensing charges are not. Some medicines, such as ADHD stimulants, are only prescribed after careful assessment and monitoring.

Yes. Consultations take place on a secure clinical platform and your records are held confidentially. As with any doctor, confidentiality may have to be broken if there is a serious risk to your safety or someone else's, including children.

No. This is not an emergency or crisis service. If you are in immediate danger call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent help call NHS 111 (option 2 for mental health in England), contact your GP, or call Samaritans on 116 123.

Adults aged 18 and over who are in the UK at the time of the consultation.

Where clinically appropriate, once your treatment is stable, Happy Clinic can propose a shared care agreement to your NHS GP. Whether it is accepted is entirely at your GP practice's discretion.

Missed appointments and late cancellations may be charged under Happy Clinic's cancellation policy. Check the terms when you book.

Continuity is usually the aim, and follow-ups are normally booked with the consultant who carried out your assessment so that you do not have to explain your history again. It cannot be promised in every case, because leave, illness and clinician availability all play a part. If seeing one named doctor matters to you, say so when you book and ask Happy Clinic to confirm the arrangement in your booking confirmation. There is more on how appointments fit together in how it works, and on the periods in between in what happens between appointments.

Not from Happy Clinic. Your records are held confidentially and nothing is sent to an employer, a university or an insurer unless you ask for it, or unless there is a serious risk to someone's safety. If you claim on a policy, or ask for a letter to support an adjustment at work, you are the one choosing to disclose, and the recipient then sees what you send. Anything shared with your own GP becomes part of your NHS record. For the practical side of keeping an appointment private at home, see keeping your video consultation private.

Happy Clinic asks for payment in advance, so in practice most people pay directly and then claim back if their policy covers private psychiatry. Whether an insurer reimburses depends entirely on the policy: some exclude mental health, some exclude ADHD and autism assessments, and many require a GP referral and pre-authorisation before the appointment takes place. Check with your insurer first, and ask at booking what receipts and paperwork can be provided. Current prices are on the fees page, and billing questions can go through contact.

A written clinical summary of your assessment goes to you, and with your consent to your GP, and that letter is often enough for an employer or a university support team. Happy Clinic does not write medico-legal reports or reports for benefits claims. Fit notes for statutory sick pay normally come from your GP, who may use the private summary as evidence when deciding. If you need a specific document, such as exam access arrangements or something for occupational health, ask before booking whether it can be provided and whether a separate charge applies.

Usually yes, if you want them there. Many people bring a partner, parent or close friend to help with dates, medication history and how symptoms look from the outside, which can be genuinely useful in an ADHD or autism assessment. Tell the psychiatrist at the start who is in the room and whether they are staying for the whole appointment. Expect to spend part of the consultation alone, so that questions about risk, alcohol and relationships can be answered honestly. If you would rather have nobody with you, that is equally fine.

Yes. Happy Clinic sees adults anywhere in the UK, and the consultation itself is the same wherever you are. What differs is what follows, because prescribing arrangements, pharmacy rules and NHS pathways are set separately in each nation, so a private prescription may be handled differently in Scotland than in England, and your GP practice will apply its own local policy on taking over prescribing. Raise this at booking if medication is likely, so expectations are clear. There is more detail in prescriptions after an online consultation, and you can start at book.

Sometimes, and it can never be guaranteed. A diagnosis made by a GMC-registered consultant psychiatrist using a structured assessment is a valid clinical opinion, and many GPs and NHS services accept one. Others apply local criteria, or will only act on an assessment from a service they commission, and they are entitled to make that decision. No private provider can compel an NHS service to adopt a diagnosis or to take over prescribing. What helps is a clear written report and, once treatment is stable, a shared care proposal. See telepsychiatry for adult ADHD and shared care with your GP.

You can, but say so at the start, because two prescribers working without knowing about each other is unsafe. Where you are already under a community mental health team or an NHS ADHD service, the useful role for a private appointment is usually a second opinion, diagnostic clarification or a medication review, with the findings sent to your GP and, with your consent, to the NHS team. A private appointment should not duplicate treatment another team is already managing, so tell both sides what is happening. Read is telepsychiatry right for me and telepsychiatry and your GP before booking.

It happens often enough that clinicians plan for it. Keep a phone to hand and make sure Happy Clinic has your number, so the consultation can carry on by telephone if the video will not hold. A brief drop out is usually fixed by rejoining the same link. If the connection fails badly enough that a proper assessment is not possible, the appointment would normally be rearranged rather than counted as complete, and it is worth asking how that is handled when you book. Testing beforehand prevents most of it: see setup and troubleshooting.

That is a legitimate outcome rather than a wasted appointment. Video assessment has limits, and a consultant may conclude that you need a face to face examination, an NHS community team, a crisis service, psychological therapy, or something outside what Happy Clinic offers, which includes under 18s, dementia and therapy itself. You still receive a written opinion setting out what kind of care is needed and why, and that is often what moves matters forward with your GP. See is telepsychiatry right for me and when video is not the right choice.