After your consultation
After a functional medicine consultation:know what happens next.
After the consultation, the next step should be clear and individual. It may involve review of results, a treatment or lifestyle plan, referral, monitoring or no additional test at that stage.
The consultation should end with a clear next step, not an automatic package.
After a functional medicine consultation, the next step depends on what the history, existing results and clinical priorities show. Follow-up is used to discuss test results and your personalised plan, answer questions, cover next steps and review progress as required. [1]
That does not mean every patient needs specialist testing, a supplement plan or a fixed series of appointments.
A reasonable next step may be a test, standard investigation, referral, medicine review, lifestyle plan, monitoring or no additional test at that stage.
If testing is agreed, the result needs to be interpreted in context before it becomes a treatment decision.
Follow-up reviews your results and progress. Agree the timing for your own care; there is no fixed schedule stated for everyone.
What should a post-consultation plan contain?
The plan should make the priorities clear. It may record what has been discussed, which issues need action now, which need monitoring, and which may need another clinician or specialist.
You should understand which next steps are optional and which are important for safety or diagnosis. If a test or treatment is being considered, ask what it is intended to change.
Ask when to expect your plan and how it will be shared. A fixed delivery time is not stated here.
What happens if tests are recommended?
Testing should follow the clinical question rather than happen automatically. If a test is agreed, you should know what it is for, how to prepare, what it costs if it is separate, who reviews the result and what might happen next.
A result may confirm a concern, make a diagnosis less likely, suggest a different investigation or lead to no change. An abnormal result may also need confirmation before treatment changes.
The functional medicine testing and diagnostics page explains the practice's question-led testing approach.
How are results discussed?
The next appointment is used to discuss test results and your personalised plan, including questions, concerns and next steps. [1]
Bring the full report if the test was done elsewhere. Ask what the result means for you, what it does not prove and whether another test is needed.
Ask when your results are expected, who will review them and how urgent findings will be communicated. Do not assume that every result follows the same process.
When is follow-up arranged?
Follow-up should fit what needs reviewing. Further appointments review results, the health plan and progress, with adjustments as required. Agree the interval for your own care rather than assuming one standard number of weeks. [1]
A follow-up may be useful after a meaningful test result, a treatment change, a new symptom or a period of trying an agreed plan. In other situations, another clinician or routine GP follow-up may be more appropriate.
Ask what the next review is meant to decide before booking it.
What if a medicine or prescription is discussed?
Medicine decisions need clear responsibility. Ask who is prescribing, what monitoring is needed and what your NHS GP or specialist should know.
A private prescription can be sent to you or to a pharmacy of your choice. Partner delivery can involve an extra delivery fee. Payment is taken before external prescription, test or supplement orders are processed. [2]
Those administrative routes do not create an entitlement to a prescription. Clinical eligibility and medicine choice remain separate medical decisions.
Do not assume your NHS GP automatically takes over.
If a private prescription or monitoring plan is started, ask which clinician remains responsible for prescribing, monitoring and review.
What if the consultation shows that another service is needed?
A functional medicine consultation can identify questions that belong with another medical specialty or with routine NHS care. Referral is part of safe care when the problem sits outside the consultation's scope.
Ask what information should go with the referral and whether the route is intended to be private or through your NHS GP. The private clinician's recommendation does not automatically determine how an NHS referral is processed.
If symptoms become urgent before the next appointment, use the appropriate NHS urgent-care route rather than waiting for routine follow-up.
Five questions to ask before you leave the consultation
- What are the main working problems or priorities?
- What should I do next, and which steps are optional?
- Who is responsible for each test, medicine or referral?
- What should make me seek earlier review or urgent care?
- What is the purpose of the next follow-up appointment?
The first consultation process page explains how the initial visit fits into the wider patient journey.
What should you do between the first visit and follow-up?
Keep the plan simple. Write down any action you agreed to take and who is responsible for it. If a test has been arranged, follow the preparation instructions for that test. Do not add another test or supplement just because you are waiting for the next appointment.
Keep taking prescribed medicines unless the clinician responsible for them tells you to change. If a new medicine or private prescription is started, ask who will review it and what monitoring is needed.
Make a short note of any important change in symptoms. You do not need to record every small variation. Focus on changes that affect the question being reviewed, daily function or safety.
Keep copies of new results or letters. Bring the full report to follow-up, especially if testing was done elsewhere. A screenshot of one number can miss units, ranges and comments.
If you become acutely unwell, use the appropriate urgent NHS route rather than waiting for the planned follow-up. A future appointment is not an emergency service.
What patients say about the consultation experience.
Patient reviews can help you understand how a consultation feels. They do not prove that a diagnosis will be found or that a treatment will work.
Individual reviews reflect personal experiences and do not predict diagnosis, treatment response or outcome.
“patient, understanding and kind”
Google reviewer
“warm and compassionate bedside manner”
Google reviewer
“takes incredible care to get to know her patients”
Google reviewer
Common questions
What happens after a functional medicine consultation?
The next step depends on the clinical assessment. Follow-up can be used to discuss test results and your personalised plan, answer questions, cover next steps and review progress as required. It does not mean every patient receives the same tests, treatment or number of follow-ups.
Will I always have tests after the consultation?
No. Testing should be used when it answers a useful clinical question or could change the next step. A consultation can also lead to standard investigation, referral, medicine review, monitoring or no additional test at that point. The testing decision should be explained rather than assumed.
When will I get a written plan or test result?
Ask how your results or plan will be communicated and when review is expected. No universal turnaround time is stated here. Confirm the arrangements for your own tests and appointments.
How often are follow-up appointments?
Follow-up is individual. Appointments review results, the health plan and progress, with adjustments as required; no fixed interval is stated for everyone. Ask what the next follow-up is meant to decide and when it is clinically useful.
Can Dr Stavy issue a private prescription after the consultation?
A prescription is a clinical decision, not an automatic part of the appointment. If a prescription is agreed, confirm where it will be sent. An appointment does not guarantee a prescription or medicine availability. Ask who remains responsible for monitoring and repeat prescribing.
What if I need another specialist after the consultation?
The consultation may identify a problem that belongs with another specialty, your NHS GP or another service. Ask what route is recommended, what information needs to be shared and who is responsible for the referral or next assessment. Use urgent NHS care if the problem becomes time-critical.
Medical sources and further reading
- Dr Stavy Experience Input EI006: follow-up discussion of results, plan and next steps. Owner-adopted public operational source for follow-up discussion and progress review.
- Dr Stavy Experience Input EI011: prescription fulfilment and external orders. Owner-adopted operational source for prescription routing, prepayment and partner delivery fees.
- GMC: Decision making and consent. Supports clear discussion of options, benefits, harms and agreed next steps.
A good follow-up has a purpose.
Know what is being reviewed, who is responsible and what decision the next appointment is meant to make.