FAQS

Feel free to contact our front desk at (01) 830 2841 to schedule an appointment at a time convenient for you. While we strive to accommodate your preferred time, exact availability cannot always be guaranteed. Refer to our opening hours for your convenience.

Alternatively, you can utilize our online appointment form, automatically sending your request to reception via email. Kindly be aware that appointment processing occurs during working hours and may not be immediate. For urgent or last-minute appointments, especially in case of emergencies, we recommend contacting our reception directly via phone for prompt assistance.

Appointments with our doctors are scheduled by appointment only. While we prioritize pre-scheduled appointments, on less busy days, there might be a possibility to accommodate you on short notice. Although we cannot assure this, feel free to call and inquire. If there’s availability, we will do our best to arrange an appointment for you.

A standard appointment is 15 minutes maximum. To be fair to all our patients and to ensure that surgery runs on time, we confine each appointment to 10-15 minutes as we need to include time for admin tasks in addition to the time you are in consultation with the doctor, otherwise our GPs will still be doing paperwork at 9pm every evening at a cost to the quality of the next day’s service. 

However, this is not always possible, and we ask that you be patient with us. Someday, you may be the patient requiring the extended consultation and we will not rush you out of the room either.

Some services, like travel vaccinations or addressing multiple concerns, may necessitate a longer appointment. Our reception staff will inform you of this when scheduling your appointment. If you believe you need an extended consultation with the doctor, kindly inform reception during the booking process, and we will make efforts to accommodate your request. For detailed information on available appointment types and costs, please refer to our Fees page.

While our goal is to address issues in a single consultation, circumstances may vary. If your concern persists or if you have any apprehensions, kindly schedule a follow-up appointment with the doctor. Details regarding fees for review appointments can be accessed here.

We strive to maintain our schedule for the benefit of all our patients. If you arrive late and we are currently running on time, we might need to reschedule your visit. Depending on our current workload, there could be an opportunity to accommodate you later on the same day. You can choose to wait if time allows or reschedule for a later time.

We acknowledge that unforeseen circumstances may hinder your punctuality, but if you anticipate being late, we kindly request a phone call in advance to inform us. Your cooperation helps us provide the best possible service to all our patients.

In case of emergencies, there will always be a doctor available at the surgery, and emergency cases will be given the highest priority. If you encounter a situation requiring immediate attention from our doctor, please contact us and explain the circumstances to our front desk.

It’s important to note that our doctor’s interpretation of an emergency may vary from your own. However, for serious medical emergencies such as collapses, severe accidents, heart attacks, or profuse bleeding that necessitate hospital treatment, it is crucial to call for an urgent ambulance without delay (dial 112).

At Berkeley Clinic, we provide healthcare services for both Public (GMS Medical Card) and Private patients.

With your (GMS) Medical Card, you have access to a comprehensive range of medical services offered by your chosen GP. These services are rendered to you without charge at the point of delivery and cover standard consultations for treating illnesses, as well as other related services essential for addressing various medical conditions.

It’s important to note that there is no distinction between Full Medical Cards and Doctor Visit Cards (DVC) regarding the services provided by your GP. Both cards grant you the same level of service. However, individuals holding a Doctor Visit Card are required to cover the costs of their medications when obtaining them from the pharmacy.

We offer a range of services that fall outside the scope of the GMS contract and are not covered by state funding. Some of the commonly requested services by our patients include:

1. Medical examinations or reports for legal purposes
2. Forms and examinations related to insurance policies
3. Fitness-to-drive assessments, including eye examinations
4. Pre-employment examinations
5. School entry examinations
6. Examinations related to fitness for sports participation or gym activities
7. Travel vaccinations and specific other vaccinations
8. Routine blood tests for the management and monitoring of chronic medical conditions, such as blood sugar, glucose tolerance tests, cholesterol checks, PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen), liver and kidney function tests, or full blood counts.
9. 24-hour blood pressure monitoring
10. Issuance of sick certificates and doctor’s letters

Patients holding a Medical Card or Doctor Visit Card requesting any of the above services are responsible for the associated fees, available here.

Unfortunately, due to financial constraints resulting from the Minister for Health’s FEMPI legislation, we can no longer provide several pro bono services as we did in the past. If you encounter charges for a service that was previously offered at no cost, we apologize for any inconvenience and encourage you to share your concerns with your local TD.