FAQs

You can do this through our  online bookings page as you make your first appointment. Alternatively you can contact us via the contact form, phone or email and our helpful reception staff will help you to do this at a time convenient to you.

A completed client registration form in advance of your first appointment gives us some medical background for you before we first see you and makes the check in process smoother.

You can register for a one off appointment or to join one of our wellbeing packages as a regular client.

If you have not registered before your first appointment then this can also be done when you arrive at the clinic.

We reserve the right to request confirmation of your identification.

As part of our safeguarding responsibilities, please do not be offended if we request confirmation of your parental authority to act for a child at the point of registering, or reconfirmation of the same at any point in the course of their treatment with Idos health.

Once you have registered with Idos your details will be stored in our secure note keeping system which is GDPR compliant.

We treat all client information sensitively and will only share information according to GDPR and ICO recommendations and guidelines. Usually this is done on a need to know basis in extenuating circumstances or with your permission for marketing or other promotional offers.

The entrance to Idos Clinic is at ground level, under the arcades of St Peter’s Marina.

Idos looks over the boats in the marina towards the Tyne.

You can get to us by car, bus, metro, bike and on foot.

Our post code is NE6 1TZ  which will take you to the upper level of the Marina where you can park for free on St Lawrence Road, just a minute from the Idos Entrance, down the steps to the Quayside Marina level.

Please use post code NE6 1UL to get right to the front door of Idos

You can drive a car right up to the front door if you need to. There are double yellow lines on one side of the Idos entrance if you approach from the Merchants Tavern Pub.

If you approach from St Lawrence Road and drive all the way around through the no entry sign there are no yellow lines and it is free parking.

Car: There is free parking outside the Idos clinic which is sometimes available. Alternatively, there are two car parks within 5 minutes walk and free parking on the street above the practice with some steps coming down to the wharf area.

Metro: Byker metro station is 15-20 minutes walk away. Turn right when you leave the metro station and walk directly through the Byker Wall Estate and down past the recycling centre. Turn left at the roundabout after the recycling centre and then first right down the road leading to the marina itself. Walk to your left around the marina once you reach the Merchant’s Tavern Pub. Idos is under the arcades a bit further along.

Bus: The Q3 QuayCity bus runs at 15-minute intervals and brings you down to St Peter’s Basin by the Marina where you can walk around to Idos just a few minutes from the bus stop.

The 18 bus also comes right down to St Peter’s Basin from High Heaton and the Idos clinic is again just a few minutes walk away.

Foot: Idos Clinic is about a 20-30 minute walk from the Millenium Bridge along the Quayside past the Cycle Hub and Army Barracks. Follow the Tyne and you will find us looking over the Marina under the red arcades.

You can also walk from Heaton down the pedestrian path through the Byker Wall Estate and turn right then first left at the bottom of this path by the Recycle centre.

Bike: You can ride your bike along the Quayside or the pedestrian path described above. You can lock your bike to the Marina Rails during your consultation.

Boat: You can even access Idos Clinic directly from St Peter’s Marina itself.

We follow current Government Public Health Guidance for workplaces regarding Covid. You can view this at

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-covid-19/offices-factories-and-labs

How do we keep our clients and practitioners safe whilst fulfilling that essential need for clients and practitioners to be physically close?

All our premises are sanitised before and after every client use

We use items once and wash them or use disposable items

All practitioners follow not only their registering body’s advice about Covid safety for them and their clients but also additionally follow updated advice within the Idos practice from NHS England

We encourage our practitioners to make use of our free Covid antibody testing service which tells us if practitioners already have antibodies to Covid

We ask our practitioners to show evidence of full vaccination if this applies to them

We provide lateral flow tests and antibody tests to practitioners

We encourage practitioners and clients to follow updated guidance and may request that you wear a mask or visor if this is felt to be in the best interest of other clients or practitioners. We ask for your understanding and patience with this.

Anyone can use Idos as a fee paying private client who is looking for medical, psychological or complementary care.

Most people that choose Idos are clients looking for prompt, high quality responsive management of their health and wellbeing in a pleasant accessible environment . Our fees reflect the quality of our services.

As a CIC we also seek funding for certain clients and groups to support our goal of helping communities.

Each practitioner will provide services at their expected standard, guided by their governing body eg. The GMC and CQC for doctors. In order to work at Idos all our practitioners have been checked for professional standards (including DBS), insurance and qualifications.

All your information will be treated confidentially within our secure cloud-based system according to GDPR requirements. Any discussion about your personal details will only be undertaken at with your consent, at your request, with your knowledge and on a need-to-know basis.

Idos complies with GDPR regulations. See privacy notice.

Appointment fees cover the consultation time and include any standard examinations or procedures that may be carried out in that time. Our fees also include standard administration that arises from your consultation (such as writing once off prescriptions, and making referrals).

If you require paperwork or reports to be completed, for example, to claim from an insurer, we will charge an administration fee.

Appointment fees are payable at the point of booking. We are unable to reserve appointments without a £20 deposit for non medical practitioners or a £120 deposit for medical practitioners.

Please follow the guidance notes on the online bookings page. This will explain which appointment time is most appropriate for you to book.

Our minimum GP appointment length is 20 minutes for a follow up and the initial GP appointment is 30 minutes but other practitioners usually have a minimum of 30, 45 or 60-minute appointments. Your appointment length should be made clear at booking.

If you are in any doubt, please do not hesitate to contact reception at hello@idoshealth.co.uk to on 0191 429 0002, so that they can advise you further.

Our practitioners endeavour to run to time as a courtesy to all of our clients, so if your appointment is over-running, they may request that you book a further appointment.

You may make changes to your booking up to 24 hours ahead of your appointment time for the following therapies:

GP, Sleep Medicine, GP specialist in Gynaecology, Shiatsu, Yoga, Qigong, Acupuncture and Medical Herbalist.

If you cancel within 24 hours of your appointment with these practitioners you will be liable for the full deposit fee of £20 for Shiatsu, Yoga, Qigong, Acupuncture and Medical Herbalism or £120 for GP, Sleep Medicine, GP specialist in Gynaecology.

The cancellation notice period for Psychology, Consultant Physician, Consultant Rheumatologist and Psychotherapy is 7 days.

If you cancel within 7 days of your appointment with these practitioners you will be liable for the full deposit fee of £20 for Psychology and Psychotherapy or £120 for the Consultant Physician or Consultant Rheumatologist.

Idos operates a strict cancellation policy for all appointments, whether you are a subscriber or pay as you go.

The  deposit is non refundable unless has been some misunderstanding for which Idos may be responsible then we would review this. However, we also understand that sometimes there are extenuating circumstances beyond a person’s control and will be compassionate about this in enforcing full payment of the deposit under these circumstances

This enables us to keep overall fees to clients as affordable as possible, whilst adhering to industry-standard payment terms for our practitioners.

Please do not book if you are not happy to adhere to this.

Aside from the consultation fee, the main costs relating to your care might relate to blood tests (pathology) and imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT etc. done offsite and not charged at Idos).

Your doctor will always explain which investigations they recommend if any, and why each one will be helpful. Please do not hesitate to ask if you require clarification.

Blood tests are priced according to your specific requirements, and the price is entirely dependent upon which tests are recommended.

We charge you the cost price of each blood test, plus an administration fee. Your practitioner will give you guidance on cost, and you are never obliged to undertake any investigation with us.

If we recommend imaging, we will refer you to one of our private hospital partners.

Fees for imaging will be paid directly to the private hospital in question and vary by provider. We do not earn a commission or any other form of income from making imaging referrals to private hospitals.

We may suggest a specialist referral, as part of our commitment to getting you the best possible treatment. If you already know the practitioner you wish to see, we are happy to facilitate, and if not we are happy to advise and use our trusted network of consultant colleagues.

At Idos we have specialists working onsite such as consultants in sleep medicine, rheumatology and elderly care along with a specialist GP in gynaecology. If you book with an Idos consultant our reception staff can help you with your booking as they hold availability for these service providers.

For external consultants we do not have direct access to consultants’ diaries and will refer you to the care of their secretary for appointment booking.

We appreciate that you will often wish to be seen promptly, and endeavour to manage our availability to facilitate this but ask for your understanding in periods of unforeseen high demand, or in the rare event of a doctor being unexpectedly indisposed.

If you are in any doubt as to your immediate safety, we urge you to contact NHS emergency services directly. We do not have A&E facilities. Our receptionists are not all medically trained and can only advise on the availability of our services, and not offer advice. If upon consultation, our doctor determines that you require emergency care in the NHS, they will of course aid and advise you in accessing this.

We are happy to issue repeat prescriptions for you if required. For our well-person subscriber clients, there is no charge for this service. For non-subscriber clients, there is a £10 charge per prescription issued. It is our responsibility to ensure that your prescriptions remain safe and appropriate for you. Your doctor will assess each request and advise whether a review is needed, either by phone or in person, before issuing the prescription. Any consultations required will be chargeable. Please give at least 48 hours to turn around repeat prescription requests. Please also be aware that medication supply issues are beyond our control, and as such you might wish to allow more time to source medications such as HRT preparations.

Idos encourages you to keep your NHS GP registration, and will promptly provide you with all the records we hold on you, so that they can be transferred to your NHS record if you so wish. If appropriate we are happy to share information we hold about you with external doctors and your NHS GP with your consent. We would routinely inform your NHS GP in a brief letter or secure email, that you have attended Idos clinic unless you expressly request us not to.

This will depend upon your individual policy wording, so we advise you to check with your insurer prior to undertaking any treatment that you would like to claim for.

To obtain our client information leaflet please call our friendly reception team on 0191 4290002 or email at hello@idoshealth.co.uk and we will be happy to post it to you.

If you share our ethos, and believe in working as a team with other experts from different fields for the wellbeing of your clients, we would like to hear from you. We support shared learning about different approaches to health and hold regular practitioner meetings. We’re also open to expanding our client-centric approach to offsite practitioners.

We are CQC registered, so our standards meet top requirements. So we can now offer full medical services at the clinic.

Confidentiality underpins the integrity of the doctor-client relationship. Our service is governed by the strict standards of confidentiality set by the GMC (General Medical Council) and the other registration bodies of our practitioners. We will only share identifiable information with other providers or practitioners when you give us permission, or when legally compelled to do so. If we issue a prescription, GMC guidance states that we should share this information with your regular GP. We will seek your permission before doing so. Client information is processed within the practice for the purpose of providing direct care. You may request a copy of our confidentiality policy by emailing office@idoshealth.co.uk

Idos Health and Wellbeing CIC adhere strictly to current data protection regulation in the UK. For those registered with us as clients, we hold data on the basis of ‘vital interests’ and hold that data for the recommended period from the Information Governance Alliance in July 2016 of 10 years after the death of the client or for 100 years if it is not known whether the client is deceased. If you are not a patient but have requested information, we will only contact you if you have specifically requested to hear more from us. Further, should you wish to be removed from our list and have details of the information we hold, we are happy to provide either service free of charge and within one week.

Idos is committed to continuing professional development (CPD) of all their practitioners and our doctors undertake annual appraisal and are revalidated by the General Medical Council in exactly the same way as NHS colleagues. All Idos practitioners are handpicked for their genuine passion for what they do, and work diligently to remain at the leading edge of their field. One of the cornerstones of the Idos way of doing things is for our practitioners to have regular interdisciplinary training and learning events so we can all benefit from each other’s knowledge. Non medical practitioners at Idos adhere to their registering body’s recommended training requirements.

If you have any reason to be unhappy about your care or experience within the Idos clinic or in your interaction with any staff, practitioners, online booking system or any other aspect of Idos Health and Wellbeing CIC please let us know promptly so we can respond to your concerns. The manager in charge of receiving your complaints is Dr Riaan Swanepoel who can be reached at office@idoshealth.co.uk . We advise that you put your complaint down in writing either as an email to the email address above or by letter to Idos Health and Wellbeing CIC, 23 St Peter’s Wharf, St Peter’s Basin, NE6 1TZ. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 2 working days and give you an initial response within 10 working days according to our complaints policy. We will also send you a copy of our complaints policy.