Patient Info
New Patients
I run a private specialist Menopause & Premenstrual Disorders Clinic at Healthshare Clinic Norwich, and provide a comprehensive service covering all aspects of female hormonal health, including menopause, perimenopause, POI and premenstrual disorders (PMS/PME/PMDD).
I have a holistic approach encompassing lifestyle measures (exercise, sleep hygiene, stress reduction) and nutritional guidance alongside evidence-based medical therapies, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and medical/complementary alternatives.
Treatments will be individualised and tailored to your own personal needs.
Individual Consultations
Update Sept 2023: Please note that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the clinic is temporarily closed to both new and existing patients. This will be the case for the foreseeable future. Any updates will be posted here in due course.
Please see: Resources – Dr Hannah Short for further information on menopausal & premenstrual health, including a link to the BMS Menopause Specialist register.
Please note, all initial consultations are face to face at Healthshare Clinic Norwich. This is important in order to carry out a physical examination, should this be deemed clinically necessary.
Existing Patients
Update 28th September 2023: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the clinic is temporarily closed and no appointments are available at this time. If you are an existing patient due a follow-up consultation, please contact the clinic office directly for further information and advice. Thank you for your understanding.
Online booking is currently disabled. If you are an existing patient, please contact the clinic office regarding follow-up appointments/clinical review.
Thank you for your understanding.
Clinic FAQs
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What are the consultation fees?
Initial Assessment (up to 60 minutes) £275
Follow-up Appointment (up to 30 minutes) £185
The consultation fee is inclusive of a private prescription (medication costs exclusive) and letter.
Telephone discussion for brief clinical queries in between appointments (up to 15 minutes) £100 – existing patients only; please email or call the office on 01603 273900 to arrange. This fee is inclusive of a private prescription (if necessary, and medication costs exclusive), but if a letter is required this will incur an extra £35 charge.
Additional fees
Prescription fee (when issued outside of consultations) £30 – existing patients only
Letter fee (outside of consultations) £35 – existing patients only
Email queries (beyond quick queries for clarification) £35 – existing patients only
Please note, if blood tests or other investigations (e.g., a DEXA or ultrasound scan) are required, these can be arranged privately; further fees are payable. In some cases, your GP may be happy to arrange these for you on the NHS, but this is not guaranteed and cannot be expected.
Do you offer discounts / concessions on the consultation fees?
How do I book a consultation?
The easiest way to book a consultation is to do so online. Please see the booking form here.
New patients: Please note, appointment slots are opened up approximately 16 weeks ahead, and are bookable on a first come first served basis. Regrettably, we are unable to offer a waiting list. If no initial appointments are showing as available, please do check back frequently as cancellations do occur and/or new slots may be offered.
Existing patients: If no follow-up consultations are available to book online, please email the clinic. Please note, if you have not been seen in clinic for over twelve months you are required to rebook an initial consultation, rather than a follow-up appointment, to ensure adequate time to address all new concerns and any changes since last review.
Do I need a referral from my GP?
No, you can self-refer directly. However, it can be helpful to bring along results of any recent blood tests and/or relevant medical letters to your appointment. These can also be uploaded, via the patient questionnaire, which you will be asked to complete before your consultation (NB: the questionnaire link is sent out with both confirmation and reminder emails).
Do you offer online consultations?
Online, and telephone, consultations are available for follow-up appointments only. All initial consultations are face to face at Healthshare Clinic Norwich; this is important in case physical examination is deemed clinically necessary.
I am an existing patient and have a video consultation booked. I cannot get the video to work / it is of poor quality – what should I do?
Firstly, please ensure you have read through all the instructions sent through on your confirmation email(s) – for example, you will need to have the latest version of Chrome, Safari or Firefox to enable smooth connection.
If, however, problems are still ongoing (and sadly technology is not 100% reliable!), a telephone consultation will be offered instead. You will be given exactly the same advice, and so can be assured you will not be missing out.
Is the clinic wheelchair accessible?
Why is payment required in advance?
Payment is taken at the time of booking to secure your consultation and to reduce the risk of “no-shows”. Unfortunately, whilst the vast majority of patients have every intention of attending the appointment they have booked, “no-shows” do occur from time to time leading to wasted clinical time. This also has a knock-on effect on other patients who could have been seen sooner with prior notice.
If you would prefer to make payment over the ‘phone or via BACS transfer, rather than online via credit card, please contact the clinic on 01603 273900 to arrange prior to booking.
I need to cancel / rearrange a consultation. How can I do this? Can I get a refund?
Cancellations more than 72 working hours (3 days) ahead of your booked appointment can be cancelled directly by clicking the link sent out with your confirmation email, and a full refund will be given. If you need to rearrange, rather than cancel, please email the clinic (see contact page or reply to your booking confirmation directly).
If you need to cancel or rearrange your consultation within 72 working hours of the appointment time, please call the clinic directly on 01603 273900. Consultations cancelled between 48 and 72 working hours in advance will be charged 50% of the consultation fee. If an appointment is cancelled within 48 working hours of the start time the full fee is payable.
Note re refunds: if you paid the consultation fee via BACS transfer, you should receive your refund within 48 working hours of providing us with your bank details. If you made payment online/via credit card over the ‘phone, refunds can take 5-10 working days to appear in your bank account. This is because these payments are processed by a third-party operator (‘Stripe’); unfortunately, this process cannot be expedited.
What happens if you/the clinic needs to cancel a consultation?
In the event that I/the clinic are unable to provide a booked consultation (e.g., due to illness or emergency), then we will do our best to work with you to rearrange this as soon as possible. If this is not suitable for you, you will be offered a full refund.
What do I need to bring to my first consultation?
Please bring a list of any medication you are on, including any herbal remedies or tablets (e.g., supplements) you may have bought yourself. It is also useful to bring along any relevant blood tests or medical notes you have. Please note, you will be sent a pre-consultation questionnaire with your booking confirmation (and reminder) email and you can also upload/enter this information here.
Will medical insurance cover the cost of my consultation?
The majority of insurance providers do not cover the costs of menopause care or treatment for premenstrual disorders. However, there are exceptions to this and so it is worth checking with your insurance company – for example, many insurance companies will cover a “Private GP consultation” but may not cover a “menopause consultation” per se.
If your insurance provider is happy to cover your consultation, please note that you will be asked to make payment to confirm your booking and to claim the cost back from your insurers directly.
Do you offer a chaperone service?
Will I need blood tests?
Blood tests aren’t usually required at your initial appointment, but it will depend on your particular situation and medical history. You will have the chance to discuss this fully.
Should you require blood tests, or any other investigation, these can be organised at the clinic or via onward private referral.
In many cases, blood tests can be organised via Medichecks partner clinics. This option enables you to organise these at your convenience at a time and place suitable for you. Please note that the clinic will not have direct access to any results obtained via Medichecks and it is, therefore, your responsibility to forward on these results ahead of your appointment/bring these with you.
If you are an existing patient and blood tests are required ahead of your review consultation, please see here.
If blood tests / further investigations are required, can my GP do these?
Your GP may be happy/able to arrange any recommended blood tests/investigations; however, they are not obliged to do so (i.e., this should be viewed as a favour rather than an expectation).
In some cases, even if your GP is theoretically happy to arrange any tests, there may be local restrictions which mean this is not possible.
Do you offer insertion of the Mirena IUS and/or hormone implants?
Can you provide NHS prescriptions?
No – as this is a private clinic, I am only able to offer private prescriptions. These are usually arranged via Pharmacierge, who offer an online service and home delivery of prescription medication.
In many cases, once you are established on a treatment programme, your GP may be happy to take over prescription of any medication on the NHS. However, this will depend on a number of factors and cannot be guaranteed or expected (particularly in the case of testosterone therapy, for example).
Can I request repeat prescriptions from you?
What correspondence can I expect to receive after my consultation?
Following your consultation, an electronic letter will be written to your GP (and/or referring doctor, if relevant), summarising your consultation details and treatment plan, and this will be sent directly to them. You will receive a copy of this letter, sent via secure email.
NB: If you have not received your letter more than a week following your consultation, please check your spam/junk email folders, and let us know if you still cannot locate it.
How often will I need to be seen in clinic?
The majority of patients will require a follow-up in clinic three months after the initial consultation. With any subsequent change in treatment plan another three-month follow-up is usually recommended. In some cases, this can be carried out by your GP and so will not always necessitate return to clinic.
All patients on hormone therapy require at least annual medical review (this can be with your GP if there are no significant concerns).
Please note, patients who have not been seen in clinic for over twelve months are required to rebook an initial consultation, rather than a follow-up appointment, to ensure adequate time to address all new concerns and any changes since last review.