Before you book
Ten questions to askbefore choosing functional medicine.
Check the practitioner, scope, costs, testing logic, medicine responsibility and follow-up before you commit. A clear service should make these answers easy to find.
Before you book, make sure you know who is responsible for what.
A functional medicine practitioner should be easy to check. You should be able to identify the person, verify any medical title, understand what the first consultation includes, see the main costs, and know what happens if testing, prescribing or referral is discussed.
For a doctor in the UK, start with the GMC register. It shows current registration and any GP or specialist registration. [1] A website description or training certificate should not replace that check.
1. What is your professional registration and scope?
Ask the practitioner to name their base profession and register. “Functional medicine” describes an approach; it does not by itself tell you whether the person is a doctor, dietitian, nurse or complementary practitioner.
If the person uses the title doctor in a medical context, check their GMC entry. If they are another regulated health professional, check the relevant regulator. Then ask what parts of your care sit within their own competence and when they would refer to another clinician.
This question matters because the role affects diagnosis, prescribing, medical testing and responsibility for follow-up. It also tells you whether a practitioner can safely handle a new concern or whether you need a different service first.
For Dr Stavy
Dr Stavroula Nikitopoulou is identified on this site as the clinical author and GMC-registered doctor. Her profile provides the practice’s credential information and should be read alongside the GMC register.
2. What is the first consultation meant to achieve?
A clear first visit should have a purpose. Ask whether it is mainly for diagnosis, review of existing results, medicine review, treatment planning, lifestyle support or deciding whether more investigation is justified.
Do not assume that booking a “functional medicine” consultation means a large test panel will be ordered. A useful consultation can end with no new test, a standard test, a change in follow-up, a referral or a plan to monitor symptoms.
The first consultation page explains the staged process used on this site. Read it before booking so you can decide whether that style of assessment fits what you need.
3. How do you decide whether I need a test?
Ask the practitioner to explain the question each proposed test is meant to answer. Then ask what would happen if the result were normal and what would happen if it were abnormal.
A test is not automatically useful because it is advanced, specialist or expensive. Some tests can lead to false alarms, unclear findings or more follow-up without improving the decision. If a test is optional, you should be able to understand the likely benefit, burden, limits and cost before agreeing.
If the answer is “we test everyone”, ask why. A good testing plan should fit the clinical question and the person, not simply a package.
4. What will this cost, and what is not included?
Functional medicine consultations start from £200. Tests and supplements are charged separately and are not included in that consultation fee.
Before you book, check the current consultation fees page. Before you agree to any extra test, product or follow-up, ask for the cost and whether there are lower-cost or standard alternatives that answer the same question.
Also ask how many follow-up visits are being proposed and whether they are fixed or based on need. A starting consultation fee does not tell you the total cost of a course of care.
The first fee pays for the consultation. Tests, supplements and later appointments can create extra cost. Ask for each choice before it is made.
Ask what the test adds and what it costs.
Ask what would make another appointment useful and who decides when it is needed.
5. Who is responsible for medicines?
If you take prescribed medicines, ask how the practitioner will review them and who remains responsible for each prescription. Do not stop or change a prescribed drug simply because a new approach has been suggested.
If the practitioner is a doctor and may prescribe, ask what monitoring is required and how that care will fit with medicines from your NHS GP or another specialist. If the practitioner is not a prescriber, ask how medicine questions are sent back to the responsible clinician.
GMC guidance places informed decisions and safe prescribing at the centre of medical practice. Patients should have enough information to understand options, risks and what happens next. [2]
6. What happens if the problem is outside your scope?
A useful practitioner should be able to say when another route is better. Ask what would lead to GP review, specialist referral, urgent assessment or emergency care.
You should not be asked to treat every symptom through the same philosophy. Some concerns need conventional investigation or a named specialty. A referral is not a failure of functional medicine. It is part of safe care when the question sits elsewhere.
Ask this before you book, especially if you have a known serious condition, new neurological symptoms, unexplained bleeding, severe pain, major weight loss or another concern that may need prompt medical assessment.
7. How do you use evidence?
Ask whether the practitioner distinguishes evidence for the overall care model from evidence for each test and treatment. A good consultation should be able to say when evidence is strong, limited or uncertain.
Patient stories and reviews can tell you about communication and the experience of being seen. They cannot prove that a treatment works. The evidence page on this site explains why whole-model studies, individual interventions and testimonials answer different questions.
If a treatment claim sounds certain, ask what source supports it and whether the claim applies to people like you. “Natural”, “personalised” and “root cause” are not evidence grades.
A good answer can include uncertainty
Healthcare decisions often have limits. A practitioner who can explain what is not known is giving you useful information, not showing weakness.
8. Who follows up results and unfinished questions?
Ask who will review any result, how you will receive it, and what happens if it needs action. A result is not useful if no one owns the next step.
If several clinicians are involved, ask which person is responsible for each part of the plan. This matters for medicines, referrals and abnormal results. Keep copies of important reports and bring an up-to-date medicine list.
Do not assume that a private practitioner automatically sends every result to your NHS GP. Information sharing depends on the care context, consent and safety. The separate NHS-GP coordination guide explains the general principles without inventing a fixed practice workflow.
9. What should make me pause before booking?
- Guaranteed cures or promises that one test will find the cause of every symptom.
- Pressure to buy a large package before your history has been assessed.
- Unclear professional registration or titles that are hard to verify.
- Advice to stop necessary prescribed treatment without the responsible clinician.
- No clear answer about test costs, medicine responsibility or follow-up.
- Claims that all conventional care is wrong or that one approach suits every patient.
One concern does not always mean a service is unsafe, but it is a reason to ask more questions before paying or changing care.
10. What should a clear booking decision look like?
You should know why you are booking, who you will see, what the first visit costs, what is included, and what extra costs may arise. You should also know what the practitioner can do, what they cannot do, and how medical risk or referral is handled.
If those points fit your needs, you can review the Dr Stavy profile, the fees and the consultation process before choosing whether to request an appointment.
Booking is not consent to every later test or treatment. Each new decision should still be explained and agreed.
Take a short note into the first visit
Write down your main concern in one sentence, the medicines and supplements you take, the tests you have already had and the one or two outcomes that matter most to you. This helps keep the first discussion focused.
Also note any question you do not want to forget. You might ask whether another clinician should stay involved, what would make a test worth doing, or what would make the practitioner change the plan. A short list can be more useful than trying to remember every symptom and every past result in the room.
If you do not understand an answer, ask for it again in plain language. You are allowed time to make a decision.
What patients say about the consultation experience.
Patient reviews can help you understand how a consultation feels. They do not prove that a particular diagnosis will be found or that a treatment will work.
Individual reviews reflect personal experiences and do not predict diagnosis, treatment response or outcome.
“takes incredible care to get to know her patients”
Google reviewer
“patient, understanding and kind”
Google reviewer
“warm and compassionate bedside manner”
Google reviewer
Common questions
What should I ask before booking functional medicine?
Ask about professional registration, the purpose of the first consultation, how tests are chosen, total and extra costs, medicine responsibility, referral routes and who follows up results. You should be able to understand the plan before paying for tests, supplements or a long course of follow-up.
How do I check whether a functional medicine practitioner is a doctor?
Search the GMC register if the person presents themselves as a medical doctor in the UK. The register shows current registration status and may show GP or specialist registration. “Functional medicine” itself is not a medical registration and should not replace checking the person’s base profession.
What should I ask about test costs and follow-up?
Ask whether tests are included in the consultation fee, what each proposed test costs, what it is meant to change, who reviews the result and whether another appointment is needed. Dr Stavy’s current register states that tests and supplements are separate from the functional medicine consultation fee.
How do I know who is responsible for my care?
Ask who owns diagnosis, prescriptions, test results and referrals. If more than one clinician is involved, you should know which person is responsible for each part. Keep an up-to-date medicine list and ask how important information should be shared between the people involved.
How much does a Dr Stavy functional medicine consultation cost?
Functional medicine consultations start from £200. Tests and supplements are separate additional costs. Because fees can change, check the live fees page before booking and ask about the cost of any test, product or follow-up before agreeing to it.
Can I book directly after reading this guide?
If the service appears to fit your needs, you can request an appointment. Read the practitioner profile, fees and first-consultation process first. Booking a consultation does not mean you have agreed to every later test or treatment; those decisions should still be explained and agreed separately.
Medical sources and further reading
- GMC: Our registers. Allows patients to verify a UK doctor’s registration and GP or specialist register status.
- GMC: Decision making and consent. Sets standards for shared decisions, discussion of options and informed consent.
- NHS: Herbal medicines and complementary therapies. Advises checking practitioner credentials and keeping necessary prescribed treatment under appropriate medical care.
A good booking decision should feel clear, not pressured.
Know the person, purpose, costs and next-step responsibilities before you commit.