How to check a clinic before you book

A smart website and a friendly phone call tell you how a clinic sells. They do not tell you whether it is licensed, who will treat you or what happens if something goes wrong. Those answers take about fifteen minutes to find, and it is easier to ask before you have paid a deposit.

This is general information, not medical advice. Your own dentist or doctor is the right person for questions about your own health.

What should you check first?

Start with the licence. A licensed clinic has been approved by a health authority to operate. A licensed practitioner has been approved to practise a specific job. These are two separate checks, and a clinic can pass one and fail the other.

A licence-check routine

Health regulators and their rules differ from place to place, and they change. Find your local health regulator for the place where the clinic is based, and use the regulator's own website, not a third-party page.

The general routine works the same way anywhere:

1. Find the licence number. A clinic should be able to give you its facility licence number and the name and licence number of the person treating you. Ask by message so you have it in writing.
2. Go to the regulator's own register. Use the health authority's official website or app for the place where the clinic operates. Type the web address yourself or follow it from the regulator's main site. Do not use a link sent by the clinic.
3. Search the facility and the practitioner. Look for a match on the name, the licence number, the type of facility and the status.
4. Match the details. The name on the register should match the name on the door and the invoice. The practitioner's listed profession should match the treatment you want.
5. Check the status and the date. Note whether the licence is current. Screenshot the result and keep the date.
6. If you cannot find it, ask the clinic and the regulator. A gap can be a naming difference or an outdated register. Do not assume either way. Contact the regulator's public helpline or email, and wait for a reply before paying.

Our own clinic directory lists only clinics whose licence we have checked on the regulator's register, and each listing shows the date. Check it yourself too. A licence can lapse after we check it.

Who will actually treat you?

The person who sells the treatment is often not the person who does it. Ask for the name and profession of whoever will treat you, and book a consultation with that person. Official guidance from the NHS in the UK says to book a consultation with the person doing the procedure and not to pay before you have had one. That is sensible anywhere.

For injectables, ask who prescribes, who injects and what training each has. For any treatment, ask about insurance and what happens if you are unhappy. The questions to ask before whitening show how a treatment-specific list can look.

Questions to ask your clinic

• What is the clinic's licence number, and which regulator issued it?
• What is the name, profession and licence number of the person treating me?
• Can I have a consultation with that person before I decide?
• What are the common side effects and risks for my case?
• What aftercare is included, and who do I contact out of hours?
• What happens if there is a problem or I am not satisfied?
• What is included in the quote, and what could be added later?
• Will I get the consent form and the quote in writing before I pay?

Red flags

• The clinic cannot or will not share licence numbers.
• A name that does not match the register, or a register entry with a different type of facility.
• Pressure to pay a deposit today because a slot or an offer is "ending".
• Treatment at a home, hotel or event rather than a licensed premises.
• Only social media, with no address, no phone and no named practitioner.
• No consultation, or a consultation only with a salesperson.
• No written quote, no written consent form.

Official UK advice lists group events with alcohol, discount vouchers and mobile services among its warning signs. The same NHS guidance also tells people to ask about training, qualifications and the products that will be used.

What to expect at a careful clinic

• Before. You get a consultation, a medical history form and a written quote. You are told the risks and the alternatives.
• At the visit. The practitioner confirms your identity and consent and explains each step. You can stop and ask questions.
• After. You receive written aftercare, a contact number and a follow-up plan. Ask your clinic how long recovery typically takes for your case.

A simple rule for deciding

Give each of these a yes or a no: licence found and matches, practitioner named and matches, quote in writing, consent in writing, aftercare contact given. Five yeses means you can go ahead if you still want the treatment. One no means ask again. Two or more means pause, and look at a different clinic, perhaps starting with a comparison of quotes.

Price is not a safety signal in either direction. Our piece on why the cheapest quote is not the whole price covers how to read what you are being offered.