Guest Consultation Agreement

These terms are between you and me, Dr James O’Flynn, trading as Maybrook.

What you are booking

A single private appointment with a general practitioner about a specific problem. You do not need to be registered here, and you are not joining anything. Appointments are 30 minutes and cost €135.

What this is not

This is not an ongoing care arrangement, and I do not become your GP. The visit to Maybrook should be in conjunction with care from your own GP, continuity of care being an important aspect of your healthcare. On the day of your appointment with Maybrook, I will do my best to address the issue for which you scheduled the appointment. Following this, your own GP remains your GP. If you do not have a GP, I will encourage you to register with a practice, and can give you the details of registering at Maybrook.

Maybrook is not an emergency service. If you are seriously unwell or injured, call 112 or 999, or go directly to the emergency department.

Maybrook is not a hospital. There is no imaging or inpatient facility here.

I do not hold the GMS (medical card) contract or visit card contracts with the HSE (including under-8s and over-70s). This is a private medical service.

What is included in the fee

• The appointment itself, with assessment and clinical examination. This may include certain basic tests including urine tests, blood sugar tests or an ECG.
• A prescription where one is clinically appropriate.
• Short-term illness certification when clinically appropriate.
• A referral where one is clinically appropriate, with a letter written by me. If a referral is required for a non-acute issue, this should be coordinated by your own GP, and I will refer you back to them.
• A letter to your own GP setting out what I found and what I advised, so that your record stays complete and your care can continue with your own GP as usual.

What is not included

• Laboratory tests. These require a level of continuity that is best provided by your own GP.
• Any further appointment, which is booked and paid for separately.
• Ongoing management or illness certification of a long-term condition.
• Contact between appointments. If you need to reach me afterwards about the same or other problem, that is a further appointment.
• Repeat prescriptions, which must be managed by your own GP for your safety and continuity of care.

Prescriptions

I will prescribe medication where it is clinically appropriate for the problem with which you have attended.

I will not issue repeat prescriptions, prescriptions for long-term conditions managed elsewhere, controlled drugs, benzodiazepines, sleeping tablets, opioids, stimulants. This is not a judgment about you, but rather a statement about the level of longitudinal care and monitoring required for those medications. For a one-off appointment such as this, I cannot provide what you need for those medications. If you have come specifically for one of those medications, please say so when you book, so that I can direct you towards more appropriate options for you.

Your own GP

With your consent, I will write to your GP after your appointment at Maybrook. It is important that your medical record is complete, and avoids gaps forming. If you would prefer I did not, please tell me. I will respect that, and I will tell you honestly where I think not writing could create a risk for you.

If you do not have a GP or are looking for ongoing care rather than a single appointment, Maybrook also offers continuous care through a membership structure. The details are available at maybrook.ie.

Fees, cancellation, and missed appointments

The fee is €135, paid at booking. If you cancel or reschedule with at least 24 hours’ notice, you will be refunded in full or moved to another time, whichever you prefer. If you cancel within 24 hours, you may be charged in full. If you do not attend your appointment, you will be charged in full. If for any reason I have to cancel your appointment, you will get a full refund and I will reschedule you as soon as I can, if you would still like that. Nothing in these terms affects any other right you have under consumer law.

Records and your information

I hold your medical record on a secure clinical system, of which I am the data controller.

Why I hold it: to provide your medical care and to meet my legal and professional obligations.

Who sees it: me, anyone you are referred to (with your knowledge), and with your consent, your own GP via my correspondence. As outlined in Section 6 of our Privacy Policy, our clinical records holder ‘Semble’ may also have access to your medical records. Unless the law requires it or there is a risk of serious harm, nobody else sees the information.

How long: medical records are retained for at least 8 years as a professional standard. Notes for patients who were children at the time the information was recorded will be kept until at least the date of that patient’s 25th birthday.

Your rights: you can see your record, get a copy, ask me to correct anything inaccurate, and ask for it to be transferred. It is your data, and I do not charge for this.

Recording: I sometimes use a secure transcription tool to help draft my notes during consultations so that I can focus on you more than on the computer. I will ask you if it is okay to use it every time, and you can decline or ask me to turn it off at any time without giving a reason. The recording is not kept once the note is written - it just summarises a text transcript that gives a starting structure to the clinical note. It is exclusively for documentation, and never makes any sort of clinical decision. The doctor is responsible for everything saved to your chart.

A separate privacy notice sets out the full detail and is available on request and at maybrook.ie.

“GDPR” means the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679
“Data Controller” has the meaning detailed in GDPR.

Chaperones

You are entitled to a chaperone during any examination, and entitled to decline a chaperone also. I will discuss a chaperone for any necessary intimate examinations. If you decline, I’ll note that in the record and if the examination is urgent we’ll go ahead. However, as a one-doctor practice, I am unable to immediately provide a chaperone for physical examinations. To manage this, for examinations where you would feel more comfortable with a chaperone we can: 1. Defer an examination until a time when I can arrange a chaperone. 2. Arrange a referral to a doctor with whom you would feel comfortable performing the examination. For your comfort and support, you are also welcome to bring a family member with you in such circumstances, but friends and family are not considered to be acting in a chaperone role.

Children and Young People

Appointments may be arranged for children and young people aged under 18 years. A parent or guardian must consent to their care and to these terms, but from 16 years, young people can consent to their own medical treatment.

Young people able to understand and decide for themselves have the same right to confidentiality as an adult. Typically this occurs at the age of 16 years. I can see these people alone, if this is what they prefer, but parents or other family members are most welcome if this is what the person prefers. If a young person who is able to decide does not give consent for me to disclose the information to a parent, I will not report the conversation back.

If something goes wrong

If you are unhappy with any aspect of the service provided, please tell me in person, by phone or by email and I will address it as soon as I can. I will let you know what I intend to do to rectify the situation to the best of my ability and to avoid it happening again to you or another person. If you would like a second opinion at any time, you are entitled to pursue it, and I will do whatever I can to facilitate this process as smoothly as possible, including providing your clinical results and information for that doctor. This does not affect your right to complain elsewhere including to the Medical Council.

Things outside my control

If I cannot provide an appointment because of something beyond my reasonable control (such as me being ill, a public health emergency, failure of an essential service, etc.) I will let you know as soon as I can, refund anything you have paid for an appointment that did not happen, and offer an alternative where I can.

General

Changes to these Terms: The fee and the terms that apply are the ones published when you book.

Indemnity: I hold professional indemnity cover through the Medical Protection Society.

Governing law: These terms are governed by the law of Ireland and subject to the jurisdiction of the Irish courts. Nothing herein limits your rights under consumer law, and no part of it is intended to exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence.