There are many people who would rather go to a private clinic than visit their local General Practitioner and this can be for a variety of reasons. Many aspects of our healthcare such as sexual health can be embarrassing, many subjects are still taboo and difficult to discuss even privately with friends. Many sexually transmitted diseases are frowned upon as being something that only affects sexually active, promiscuous people when in fact any one of us can be affected by STDs.
Many people would rather go to a private clinic rather than a local GP simply because you may have to wait longer for the initial test and then results may take much longer. Very often a private clinic can perform tests and give results on the same day. This can be a huge relief if you are worrying that you may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease and may need treatment.
Occasionally, you may find that the only appointment you can obtain at your local health centre is with a male doctor when you would rather see a female or vice versa. Most private clinics such as ours here at SameDayDoctor have male and female doctors as well as providing a chaperone if required. A private clinic can often offer advice on a wide variety of health aspects as well as offer any necessary testing and treatment in a confidential manner without the need for all your personal details. You can even use a false name if preferred.
Sometimes it is the speed and availability of the testing facilities which are an attractive proposition as some tests may not be available under the National Health Service. Speed of results is also a factor with tests generally taking longer on the NHS which may be a problem in some cases which makes a private clinic the better option.