Fees & Finance Pages That Patients Understand (and Don’t Bounce From)

A clear, honest and accessible Fees & Finance page does three things for a UK GP practice or healthcare provider:

• Sets realistic expectations about costs
• Reduces “how much?” calls and complaints
• Builds trust and improves conversion from high‑intent visitors

Below is a practical guide to designing a fees page that patients actually use, with safe language patterns, WCAG‑compliant structure, and UK‑specific considerations.

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Why Your Fees & Finance Page Matters

A well‑designed fees page is no longer a “nice to have”:

• Patients expect upfront clarity about costs, especially for private, elective and “not normally provided on the NHS” services.
• NHS and CQC expectations emphasise transparency, fairness and clear patient information, including about any private or self‑funded care.
• Poorly structured fees pages increase avoidable admin:
  • “How much is X?” calls
  • Email back‑and‑forth to clarify what’s included
  • Complaints where patients feel “misled” about price

Your goal is not to publish a complete tariff; it is to publish guide prices and clear pathways so patients quickly understand:

• Roughly what things cost
• What affects the price
• How they can pay, including finance
• What to do next

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Where Fees Should Live in Your Navigation

Your navigation structure significantly affects how often patients find and use the fees page rather than calling.

Main navigation placement

Place fees where a patient intuitively looks:

• Include a top‑level item such as:
  • “Fees & Payment”
  • “Prices & Finance”
  • “Private Fees”
  • If you offer both NHS and private services:
    • Group under a “Private care” or “Self-funded care” heading, but do not bury it more than one click deep.
  • Ensure the label matches patient vocabulary:
    • Patients search for “prices”, “fees” and “cost of X”, not “tariffs” or “charging framework”.

Footer and utility links

Reinforce discoverability:

• Add “Fees & Payment” as a footer link alongside policies and accessibility.
• Include a link in:
  • “New patients” or “Registering with the practice” pages
  • “Travel clinic”, “Medical reports” and other commonly charged services

Mobile and accessibility considerations

• On mobile menus, do not hide fees behind generic “More” items.
• Ensure the fees link:
  • Is reachable via keyboard only
  • Has clear, descriptive link text (not just “click here”)
  • Meets colour contrast standards for WCAG 2.1 AA

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How to Present Price Ranges Safely

Most clinical fees can vary. Your task is to show realistic guide ranges without promising something you cannot honour.

Principles for safe ranges

Be explicit that prices are “from” or “guide prices”

Use clear, consistent wording:

• “Guide price: from £65”
• “Typical range: £65–£95, depending on complexity”
• “Final price confirmed after your consultation”

Avoid misleading absolutes:

• Avoid “fixed price” unless you genuinely never vary it.
• Avoid vague phrases like “competitive prices” with no figures.

Explain what drives variation

Patients accept ranges when they understand why:

• “Price depends on length and complexity of the assessment”
• “Costs vary according to the tests required and whether a follow‑up is needed”
• “Price differs for children and adults due to consultation time and reporting requirements”

Link from each range to a short explainer section:
“See ‘What can affect the cost?’ below.”

Safe language patterns you can reuse

For consultations

• “Standard GP consultation (private): guide price from £75 for up to 20 minutes. Longer or complex appointments may cost more. Your clinician will confirm fees before treatment.” For reports and forms

• “Insurance and medical reports: typical range £45–£150, depending on the length and complexity of the report. We will confirm the fee before you decide to go ahead.”

For procedures and specialist services

• “Minor surgery (e.g. removal of simple skin lesion): guide price £220–£350, depending on the number and type of lesions and whether laboratory tests are needed.”

Inclusions and exclusions: avoid disputes

For each key fee or range, add very short inclusions/exclusions.

Inclusions

• “Includes: consultation, procedure, basic dressings, and standard aftercare advice.” Exclusions

• “Does not include: laboratory tests, histology, additional dressings or follow‑up consultations if needed. These will be discussed and priced before treatment where possible.”

Use consistent short bullets so patients can scan easily.

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Building a Guide‑Price Table Patients Can Scan

A single, well‑structured guide‑price table keeps the page usable and accessible.

Example structure

Consultations (self‑funded/private)

• GP consultation, up to 20 minutes – guide price from £75
• Extended consultation, up to 40 minutes – guide price from £130
• Telephone/video consultation – guide price from £60
  Documents, letters and forms
• Fit note / sick note (non‑NHS) – guide price from £25
• Private prescription – guide price from £20
• Insurance report – typical range £65–£150

Vaccinations and travel clinic

• Travel consultation – guide price from £40
• Common travel vaccines – typically £40–£80 per dose, depending on vaccine type

Below the table, always include:

• A brief disclaimer:
  • “All fees on this page are guide prices and may change. We will always confirm the fee before you decide to proceed.”
  • A last updated month/year, to show you maintain the page.

Ensure the table is coded as a real HTML table and is:

• Reachable and readable via screen readers
• Clearly labelled and not reliant on colour alone to distinguish sections

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Finance Explainer and Eligibility Notes

If you offer finance options (e.g. for dental, cosmetic, extended diagnostics or health assessments), you must be extremely clear, accurate and compliant with UK advertising and financial regulations. Keep finance information separate but linked

• Create a dedicated “Finance & Payment Options” subsection on the fees page and, if needed, a standalone finance page.
• From the fees page, summarise key points and link to the full finance detail:
  • “For patients interested in spreading the cost, see our Finance & Payment Options page.”

Plain‑English finance explainer

Patients need a straightforward explanation:

How it works

• “For some procedures, you can spread the cost over several months using a regulated credit agreement with our finance provider.”

• “You will need to complete a short eligibility check, and approval is subject to status and affordability.” Key information to include

• Minimum and maximum loan amounts

• Available terms (e.g. 6, 10, 12 months)

• Whether it is interest‑free or interest‑bearing

• Any up‑front deposit required

• Confirm that taking finance is optional and not linked to clinical priority

Eligibility notes and safe wording

Avoid discriminatory language and use neutral, factual statements:

• “You must be at least 18 years old and a UK resident.”
• “Available subject to status and affordability checks by our finance partner.”
• “Credit is provided by [provider name], authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.”
• “Finance is not available for NHS‑funded treatment.”

If you do not offer finance but accept staged payment:

• “For higher‑cost procedures, we may be able to agree a staged payment schedule. Please speak to our team before your appointment.”

Use bold sparingly for key concepts like interest‑free, subject to status, and optional.

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Cross‑Links from High‑Intent Pages

Patients most often look for prices when they are already reading about a specific treatment or service.

Pages that must link to your fees page

From each of these, include a short, contextual link:

Flu and travel vaccines

• “See our current guide prices on the Fees & Payment page.”
• Private GP / same‑day appointments
• “For our current private consultation fees, visit our Fees & Payment page.” Minor surgery / skin procedures
• “Typical costs are shown in our Minor Procedures section on the Fees & Payment page.”
• Occupational health, medicals and reports
• “Prices vary depending on the type of assessment required; see our guide fees here.”

Use consistent link text that explains where the link goes, for example:

• “View guide prices for this service”
• “See our Fees & Payment page for current charges”

This both improves patient understanding and supports accessibility and SEO.

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Reducing “How Much?” Phone Calls

Your design aim is to pre‑empt 80–90% of routine cost questions.

Content elements that cut calls

1. Clear “How our fees work” explainer

At the top of the fees page, include a short overview:

• “Some services are provided free of charge under the NHS. Other services are private and carry a fee. This page explains which is which, shows typical guide prices, and how you can pay.”

2. Simple “Is this NHS or private?” section

Outline common scenarios:

• “Most consultations about your ongoing NHS care are free at the point of use.”
• “Some services are not funded by the NHS (for example, certain travel vaccinations, medical reports and some minor procedures). These are charged privately. Guide prices are shown below.”

3. Targeted mini‑FAQs

Add an FAQ section mid‑page, written from real patient questions your reception team receives.

Examples

• “Why do I have to pay for some services?”
• Short answer explaining NHS funding scope and that some non‑clinical or elective services are not covered.
• “Can you tell me the exact price before I book?”
• “For many services we can give a firm price in advance. For some, we may give a range until the clinician has assessed what is needed. We will always discuss fees with you before you decide to go ahead.”
• “Do I have to pay on the day?”
• Explain your policy (e.g. pay at time of booking for reports, pay at appointment for procedures).
• “What if I can’t afford the fee right now?”
• “Please speak to us as early as possible. We will explain your options, which may include NHS alternatives if appropriate, or staged payment for some services.”

4. Make contact the “exception”, not the default

Instead of “Call us for prices”, use:

• “If your situation is complex or not listed here, our team can give you a personalised guide price.”

This nudges routine questions to self‑serve and keeps phone lines for complex issues.

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Accessibility and WCAG Considerations

A fees page is high‑stakes content: inaccessible structure can directly disadvantage patients with disabilities or limited digital literacy.

Structure and headings

• Use a logical heading hierarchy (H1 for the page title, H2/H3/H4 for subsections) so screen readers can navigate easily.
• Group related fees under clear text headings before listing prices.

Language and readability

• Aim for plain English, roughly reading age 11–13:
  • Short sentences
  • Explain jargon: if you must use “minor surgery”, add “(small skin procedures such as removal of simple lesions)”.
  • Avoid unexplained abbreviations (e.g. “F2F”, “OHC”) on the fees page.

Colour, tables and PDFs

• Do not rely on colour alone to signal “NHS vs private”; add text labels.
• Ensure table headers are properly coded and that the table can be read row‑by‑row by screen readers.
• Avoid publishing fees only as a PDF; always have an HTML version. PDFs are harder to keep updated and often less accessible.

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Handling Updates, Accuracy and Compliance

Because NHS payment schemes, local contracts and private tariffs change, your page must be maintained regularly.

Operational best practices

Ownership and review

• Assign a named owner (e.g. Practice Manager or Business Manager).
• Schedule a minimum annual review, plus updates when:
  • New private services are introduced
  • Fees change materially
  • Finance provider terms change

Change log / “last updated”

• Add a short note: “Last updated: July 2026”.
• For major changes (e.g. a new charge for something previously free), communicate via:
  • News post or notice on the home page
  • In‑practice posters or slides on waiting room screens Legal and regulatory sensitivities
• Ensure your wording about NHS vs private care is:
  • Accurate and not suggesting that paid care gives priority access to NHS services
  • Clear that NHS‑eligible patients can still access clinically appropriate NHS care without charge
  • If you advertise finance or credit:
    • Work with your finance provider or legal adviser to ensure wording complies with FCA and ASA rules on financial promotions.

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Key Takeaways

Design goals

• Make it easy for patients to understand what they might pay and how to proceed.
• Use guide ranges, not hidden prices, and always explain what affects the cost.
• Strive to reduce routine “how much?” calls by answering the top 10 questions directly on the page.

Content structure

• Start with “How our fees work” and NHS vs private explanation.

• Provide clear, scannable guide‑price sections with inclusions/exclusions.

• Add a Finance & Payment Options explainer with eligibility notes.

• Finish with FAQs and clear “What to do next”. Navigation and links

• Put Fees & Payment in your main navigation and footer.

• Add contextual links from all high‑intent service pages.

• Use descriptive, accessible link text throughout. Accessibility and trust

• Write in plain English, use structured headings, and avoid jargon.

• Keep information current and accurate, with visible review dates.

• Be transparent about when care is NHS‑funded and when it is private or self‑funded.

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Next Steps for Your Practice Website

To implement or improve your Fees & Finance page, work through this checklist.

Planning and structure

• Map which services are NHS‑funded, which are private, and which are mixed.

• Decide on 4–6 main fee categories (e.g. consultations, documents, vaccines, procedures, medicals).

• Agree where “Fees & Payment” will sit in your main navigation and footer. Content drafting

• Draft a short “How our fees work” introduction in plain English.

• For each category, list 3–10 common items with clear guide prices and inclusions/exclusions.

• Write a finance explainer (or payment options explainer if no formal finance) with eligibility notes.

• Compile 6–10 FAQs from your reception team’s real questions.

Technical and compliance checks

• Ask your developer to:
  • Build the fees content in HTML, not PDF only.
  • Use correct heading levels and accessible table markup.
  • Ensure good colour contrast and keyboard navigation.
  • Confirm wording about finance and private care with your governance lead or legal adviser if needed.
  • Add a review date and owner to your website content governance plan.

Once live, track the impact:

• Monitor the number and type of “how much?” calls over the next 3–6 months.
• Adjust content where the same questions still surface.

A well‑planned Fees & Finance page is not just a price list; it is a core patient information tool that reduces workload, supports informed choice and builds lasting trust in your GP practice or healthcare service.