Clinical Services
The useful question is not whether a medicine or test is available. It is whether it is the right next step for you.
I first establish the concern, the relevant context and the decision that needs to be made before discussing prescribing, a blood draw or another route of care. Sometimes the right outcome is to proceed. Sometimes it is to gather more information, change direction or not proceed at all.
You do not need to arrive knowing the name of the service. Start with the problem you are trying to solve.
A clinical decision before a clinical action
Clinical Services is not a menu of medicines or tests. It is a focused route for questions that need clinical assessment, clear professional responsibility and an honest decision about what should happen next.
- Who will assess me?
- Piotr Wojtowicz, Pharmacist Independent Prescriber.
- What sits on this page?
- Guidance for clinical questions that may involve prescribing and for blood-sample enquiries.
- What has its own pathway?
- Weight Management and Hair Loss Assessment within PRP Hair.
- Is medicine guaranteed?
- No. A prescription follows only when it is clinically appropriate and within scope.
- Can I book a blood draw directly?
- Not until the request, sample destination and responsibility for the result have been agreed.
- What is the useful outcome?
- A clear clinical decision: proceed, gather more information, use another route or do not proceed.
- Is this an emergency service?
- No. Use NHS emergency or urgent-care routes when appropriate.
Which question sounds like yours?
Three starting routes, not three products.
1. A clinical question that may involve prescribing
Start with the consultation page. Prescribing may be considered only within an appropriate assessment; it is not a separate item to book or buy. If the question is whether medicine should continue, previous use does not make continued prescribing automatic; the current clinical position still needs to be reviewed.
Useful outcome: clarity about whether prescribing can be considered, what information is still needed, or why another route is safer.
2. I have been asked to arrange a blood sample
Contact odNOVA before booking. A draw can be considered only when the request, sample destination and responsibility for the result have been agreed.
Useful outcome: a safe decision about whether the request can be accepted and the draw can proceed within a confirmed service arrangement.
3. My concern is weight or hair loss
Weight concerns use the dedicated Medical Weight Management pathway. Thinning or shedding hair uses the PRP Hair pathway, where Hair Loss Assessment sits within the same consultation route.
Medical Weight Management · PRP Hair
Useful outcome: the correct dedicated pathway rather than a general Clinical Services booking.
What a useful first contact should clarify
A useful first contact does not have to end with a prescription or procedure. It should make the clinical question clearer: what belongs here, what information matters, what can be decided now and what the safest next step is.
Decision before action
Full clinical guide
Prescribing · Blood samples · ResultsScope · Urgent care · Consent · Fees
If you want the clinical detail
The Quick Overview above is enough to choose a starting route. The guide below explains how prescribing may form part of a consultation, how a blood-sample enquiry is checked before any draw, why some requests need to stop before action, and where related concerns belong.
01What Clinical Services means at odNOVA
The assessment-led part of odNOVA.
Clinical Services is the assessment-led part of odNOVA for questions that may involve prescribing or a blood-sample request.
It is not a general private GP service. It is also not a shortcut to a medicine or a blood test. The first task is to understand the concern and decide whether it belongs within my professional scope and the service available at odNOVA.
The sequence is:
concern → context → assessment → decision → appropriate next step
That sequence matters. Starting with the product creates the risk of answering the wrong question.
02Choosing the right starting route
You do not need to diagnose yourself.
You do not need to diagnose yourself or select a product before making contact.
The clearest starting point is the decision you need help with:
- a clinical question that may involve prescribing, including whether medicine should continue;
- whether a blood-sample request can be accepted and every responsibility is clear; or
- whether weight or hair loss belongs in its dedicated pathway.
These are starting routes, not paid Clinical Services products.
03When prescribing forms part of a consultation
Prescribing is not a product.
Prescribing may be considered within an appropriate clinical consultation. It is not a separate product or a promised outcome of booking.
I consider the concern, relevant health information, current medicines, known risks and the limits of my own competence before deciding what can safely be discussed next. Professional prescribing guidance requires prescribers to work within their competence, use relevant information and take responsibility for their decisions.[1][2][3]
The consultation may lead to a discussion about prescribing. It may also show that more information is needed, that another route is more appropriate, or that prescribing should not proceed.
04What the prescribing decision should answer
A reasoned answer, not a yes or no.
The useful outcome is a reasoned answer to the clinical question, not simply a yes or no to a product request.
The consultation should make clear:
- whether prescribing can be considered within the available service and my scope;
- whether the information available is sufficient for a safe decision;
- whether any further information is required;
- whether another clinician or service is better placed to help.
Not every point will apply to every concern. The point is that the decision has an accountable clinical basis.
05Why prescribing may not proceed
Declining is part of responsible prescribing.
You can tell me what you have used before, what you have read about and what you hope to achieve. That information is useful, but it does not determine the prescribing decision.
A medicine may be unsuitable because of the clinical picture, the information available, a risk that changes the balance, or the limits of the service. Prescribing can be declined or delayed when a safe decision cannot be made. That is not a failed consultation. It is part of responsible prescribing.[1][2][3]
06Requests to continue medicine
Previous use is not automatic eligibility.
There is no separately bookable repeat-prescription product on this page.
A request to continue medicine is a request for a current clinical decision. Relevant changes, response, safety information and whether the medicine still sits within scope may need to be reviewed. Previous use does not make continued prescribing automatic.
The possible outcomes remain the same:
- continued prescribing can be considered;
- more information or review is needed;
- the request should sit with another clinician or service; or
- prescribing should not continue through odNOVA.
07Before a blood sample is taken
The needle is only one part of the process.
A blood-sample enquiry starts by confirming whether odNOVA can accept the request and whether every responsibility around the sample and result is clear. Do not book a draw until that arrangement has been confirmed.
Phlebotomy is the collection of a blood sample. The needle is only one part of the process.
A safe service also depends on the clinical request, correct patient and sample identification, appropriate handling, the destination of the sample and clarity about who receives and acts on the result. WHO guidance treats patient identification, sample labelling, transport and exposure risk as parts of safe blood collection, not administrative extras.[4]
08The request, the sample and the result
Four questions before a draw.
Before a sample is taken, the arrangement needs to answer four separate questions:
- Who has made the clinical request?
- Which sample is required and where will it go?
- Who will receive and interpret the result?
- Who is responsible for follow-up or action?
Those roles may not all sit with the same person or organisation. They still need to be clear.
If they are not clear, the safe next step is to clarify the arrangement before the draw rather than create a result without an accountable route.
09What a blood test can — and cannot — answer
A result is information, not a diagnosis.
A blood result is information within a wider clinical picture. It is not a diagnosis by itself and it does not automatically explain a symptom.
The meaning of a result can depend on why the test was requested, the relevant history, the laboratory reference range and who is responsible for clinical interpretation.
The blood draw and the interpretation of the result are therefore separate responsibilities. The responsible route must be agreed before a sample is taken.
10Weight and health concerns
A dedicated pathway, not a generic request.
Weight-related care follows the dedicated Medical Weight Management pathway.
That distinction is important because the pathway has its own assessment, review and prescribing framework. It should not be reduced to a generic request for a medicine through this page.
Read the Medical Weight Management guide.
11Thinning or shedding hair
Hair Loss Assessment sits within PRP Hair.
Hair Loss Assessment sits within the PRP Hair pathway. It is not a standalone item within Clinical Services.
The starting question is not whether PRP can be booked. It is what may be contributing to the change in hair and whether PRP is a sensible option within the wider picture.
12Health information and safe decisions
What you tell me changes what is safe.
A prescribing or phlebotomy decision can depend on information that is not visible from the presenting concern alone.
I may need to ask about relevant health conditions, medicines, allergies, previous treatment, symptoms or records. If the information needed for a safe decision is not available, I may pause the process or recommend another route.
You can read how odNOVA collects, uses and shares personal information in the current Privacy and Cookie Policy. If information is needed for a safe decision, I will explain what is needed before asking you to proceed.
13Scope and care elsewhere
Recognising when a concern does not belong here.
Clinical responsibility includes recognising when a concern does not belong here.
If the issue sits outside my scope or the service available at odNOVA, I will explain that and recommend a more appropriate route. That may mean contacting your GP, NHS 111, another regulated professional or another service, depending on the situation.
A recommendation to seek care elsewhere is not the same as a formal referral. I will be clear about what I am recommending and whether you need to make contact yourself.
14Urgent and emergency care
odNOVA is not an emergency service.
odNOVA is not an emergency service.
Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency. For urgent medical help that is not life-threatening, use NHS 111. If you are unsure which NHS service you need, use the current NHS urgent-care guidance.[5][6]
Do not wait for a routine clinic response if you think the situation may be urgent.
15Consent, questions and the choice not to proceed
You can decide not to proceed.
You should understand what is being considered, what remains uncertain, the relevant alternatives and the important risks before making a decision.
You can ask questions. You can take time to think. You can decide not to proceed.
Consent does not turn an unsuitable option into a suitable one. The clinical decision and your own informed choice both matter.
16Fees and separate costs
Separate categories, not one figure.
Clinical fees, medicine costs, laboratory charges and other external costs are separate categories and may not all apply.
Before you commit, you should be told which fee applies, what it covers and whether any medicine, laboratory or other external cost is separate.
17Frequently asked questions
Clinical services — answered.
What are Clinical Services at odNOVA?
Clinical Services explains how questions that may involve prescribing or a blood-sample request are assessed, and when a dedicated pathway or another clinician may be the safer next step. It is not a general private GP service or a menu of medicines or tests.
Do I need to know which appointment I need?
No. Start with the clinical question you are trying to answer. The initial route should help establish whether the concern belongs in Clinical Services, Medical Weight Management, PRP Hair or another service.
Does a consultation guarantee a prescription?
No. Prescribing is considered only after assessment and only when it is clinically appropriate, within scope and supported by enough information for a safe decision.
Can I ask about a medicine by name?
Yes. It is useful to discuss what you have used, what you have read and what you are hoping to achieve. A requested medicine is still not approved by default; the prescribing decision follows the assessment.
What if I need to continue a medicine?
A request to continue medicine needs an appropriate current clinical review. Previous prescribing does not guarantee continuation, and more information or another route may be needed.
Can I book a blood draw directly?
Not until the arrangement has been confirmed. The request, required sample, destination and responsibility for the result must all be clear first.
Will odNOVA interpret a test requested by somebody else?
That responsibility must be agreed before the sample is taken. The person or service collecting a sample is not automatically the clinician responsible for interpreting the result or managing the next step.
Where do weight or hair concerns belong?
Weight concerns use the dedicated Medical Weight Management pathway. Thinning or shedding hair uses the PRP Hair pathway, where Hair Loss Assessment sits within the same consultation route.
What happens if my concern is outside odNOVA’s scope?
I will explain the limit and recommend a more appropriate route. That may include your GP, NHS 111, another regulated professional or another service, depending on the concern. A recommendation is not the same as a formal referral.
Is odNOVA an urgent or emergency service?
No. Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency. Use NHS 111 for urgent medical help that is not life-threatening. Do not wait for a routine clinic response if you think the situation may be urgent.
What is the value of an assessment if nothing is prescribed or performed?
The value is a clinically accountable decision: whether the proposed step is appropriate, what information is still needed, whether another route is safer, or why it is better not to proceed. Avoiding an unsuitable intervention is a valid clinical outcome.
18References
References
The sources below explain the professional principles and blood-collection standards used on this page. They do not decide whether a particular medicine, test or service is suitable for you.
- General Pharmaceutical Council. In practice: Guidance for pharmacist prescribers. Updated April 2025. Available at: pharmacyregulation.org
- General Pharmaceutical Council. Standards for pharmacy professionals. Available at: pharmacyregulation.org
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society. A Competency Framework for all Prescribers. Available at: rpharms.com
- World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on drawing blood: best practices in phlebotomy. Available at: who.int
- NHS. When to call 999. Available at: nhs.uk
- NHS. When to use NHS 111 online or call 111. Available at: nhs.uk
This page provides general information about the Clinical Services pathway at odNOVA. It cannot determine whether a medicine, test or other intervention is appropriate for an individual. That requires assessment and enough relevant information for a safe clinical decision. odNOVA is not an emergency service.
Written by
MPharm · Pharmacist Independent Prescriber · MSc Cosmetic & Aesthetic Medicine · PGDip Dermatology in Clinical Practice
Start with the question, not the product.
You do not need to arrive knowing which route you need. Begin with the concern and the decision you are trying to make. I will tell you what belongs here, what needs clarification and when another route is more appropriate.
