This is possibly one of the most important services I have used in Edinburgh, and I am surprised…read morethat it has not been reviewed so far, so here goes. The Richard Verney Health Centre in Bristo Square is the health centre for the University of Edinburgh, and is situated directly on the university campus, just off Bristo Square. It provides the service of doctors and nurses to students and residents alike. There are a couple of great things about this place. The obvious one of these is the location. Besides that, the first great thing is their open access surgery. This runs from Monday to Friday, every morning between 9 and 10am. During this time, you can turn up without an appointment and see a doctor. This is great if something comes up, or you need some quick advice. Be warned - it does get very busy, especially during term time, so arrive as close to 9am as possible if you want a quick appointment. In the other clinics and surgeries that operate during the day at the centre, the appointments tend to run pretty close to time. Some surgeries can run horribly late, but I don't think that I have ever been in more than 15 minutes after the scheduled appointment time. The other great thing about this place is that there is a pharmacy in the same building, so no need for a long walk to get prescriptions or other pharmacy supplies. As a student, I feel that registering with a health centre is a must, and if you're a student at the University of Edinburgh, then this facility is a no-brainer.

Good organisation, easy location, good number of doctors, onsite pharmacy…read more Plus if you're like me and don't ever plan ahead there is a drop in every morning - if you turn up between 9-10 you will be seen by a doctor. Sure I've had to wait around for a while sometimes but worth it for not having to plan weeks in advance. Probably less good if you drive but for cyclists walking it's fine.

Came to Scotland a got a sinus infection. Called late one afternoon and had an appointment the next…read moremorning with Wayne, an awesome doctor. He examined me and got me and my vacation back on track.

I am an American who was in Edinburgh in July when I contracted a UTI. I had read somewhere that a…read morepublic hospital will treat foreigners at little to no cost, but I didn't think a UTI warranted a hospital visit. I called Boots and was referred to YourGP. I decided to walk as it seemed to be less than 15 minutes from New Town where we were staying. The location is tricky, however ... the street YourGP is difficult to find plus you enter from the back of the clinic (at least, I did). Once I was there, however, I was diagnosed and treated promptly. The visit was 100 pounds and the medicine was 30 pounds. Total cost was about $165 but I was grateful for the courtesy and speed! I definitely recommend this place.

Professional, relaxed, quiet, confidential…read more The waiting room is the hottest place on Earth but being set in a bit Georgian townhouse you don't feel the same unjust seediness and clinical vibe that is normally associated with sexual health or family planning. Everything is well organised and even though waiting times seemed to be a little a off (I turned up for an open clinic and I was first in, but still had to wait over an hour) I was seen by medical staff who were knowledgeable and genuinely caring. Not every contraception is right for every person, so if you're wanting a change I recommend this place, will take "patients" of any age unlike other clinics around Edinburgh.

I went to the Dean Terrace walk-in clinic in Edinburgh and I explained to the nurse that I had a…read morewart I was worried about, and without making eye contact she told me to drop me kilt. She was sitting down, and I was standing up. She stared at me bits for a moment much like the way that people squint and look over the top of their glasses, as if she was studying a piece of art. "I'm having problems locating it", she said. I told her it was on the side of my hand. "Oh, pull your kilt back on then" she said. She then told me that most cases of warts to come into that clinic were of a sexual nature. I already knew that, but I just wanted to show off me knob.

Great friendly staff, ease of appointments. Work as a team for effective treatments.read more

My hubby hurt his knee. He is a cyclist. Bad knee and cycling don't mix and make for one sad…read morehubby. Good wife tries to fix hubby - calls round all her athlete friends for recommendations - one name comes out on top: Guy Van Herp. It was quite easy to get an appointment, so we made our way into the basement rooms of Meadowbank. Very basic surroundings for such a prestigious, experienced Doctor of Physiotherapy but based on the raving recommendations we don't let that put us off. After all - a sports centre is a logical place for a physiotherapist who specialises in sports (working with world class athletes) and there is free parking in a central location. My husband was very nervous so wanted me there the whole time. As soon as we meet Dr. Van Herp we are put at ease. Very kind, friendly and knowledgeable. One of the reasons we choose him was his reputation for making quick, accurate diagnoses. Within minutes we had our answer - torn meniscus - but not too bad, possible to heal with care and determination. Not wanting surgery, my hubby agreed to be a model patient and do everything to the letter. So far we have had 2 appointments which included assessment, stretches, exercises, ultrasound and laser light therapy. the knee is getting better and my husband feels better having a diagnosis and a programme to follow. Dr. Van Herp was excellent at explaining what was wrong, what each part of the programme is going to do and how to execute the plan. It's early days but we feel like we are in very good hands.

After over-training and getting runner's knee, my GP suggested physiotherapy so I called the NHS to…read morebe screened. They also deemed I needed physiotherapy so I went into the queue, being told the waiting time was 7-11 weeks. This was understandably ridiculous and quite frustrating (hence losing a star) so I had an appointment at a private physio's in the meantime. After five weeks, I received a letter inviting me to book an appointment. When I went, I was happy with the modern facilities and thorough physio apt. Gavin checked out my knees and was excellent at informing me about what was wrong (and giving me take-home reading on the subject). The exercises he recommend were really helpful (and do-able, too). I have gone back for two follow-up appointments thus far and he has been genuine and kind, really seeming to remember me and being pleased about my progress. I thought he was much better than the private physio I saw and of course I liked that it was on the NHS so it was free!

my experience with Dr Copp is always one of professionalism, in depth knowledge and focussed…read moreattention. My health is very important to me and I feel it is important to him too.

FASIC is my go to physiotherapy and sports injury fixer. They are located within the Edinburgh…read moreUniversity Sports Centre at the Pleasance. It's a bit of a maze so allow 5 minutes to find FASIC once your in the building. I first encountered FASIC 10 years ago when badly injured and needed intensive physiotherapy (twice a week for 8 weeks then once a week for 10 weeks), I've been treated at least four times since then by the physiotherapists at FASIC. They have always been very thorough with the history and examination of the injury, given good treatment and exercises and advice on minimising future injury. I've found them happy to not to recommend seeing you for a follow up appointment unless what they have advised hasn't worked. Unlike NHS physiotherapists they focus on returning you to your previous level of activity. If being able to do the splits is something that you could do but now can't they will give you exercises to help you get there rather than telling you that it isn't important. It's very much sports focuses but they will treat non sporting injuries too. As well as physiotherapist services they also have podiatry, sports medicine and other services based from here. Annoyingly they don't post prices on their website but this is as they have discounts for staff, students and members of the gym. It was £42 for a 45 minute consultation with a physiotherapist without any of the mentioned discounts in November 2015. The reception will provide detailed receipts for insurance claims but they don't do direct billing.

If you can find your way passed the brightly painted, winding corridors of the Pleasance gym, with…read moreits terrifyingly awful yet somehow hypnotic RnB and dance tracks and you don't kill yourself falling over the cleaner's equipment that always seems to be lying out, you might just do your body a favour. Housed within the university run Pleasance gym is Fasic, a sports medicine centre with multiple services available. It's no wonder this place comes recommended by Olympians. Fasic got its name after those who set it up in the late 80s decided "Fitness Assessment and Sports Injuries" made a less unfortunate acronym than "Fitness Assessment and Recreational Trauma". Though its also run by the university it is technically separate from the gym, and all are welcome, though they do offer discounts to gym members. I tried out Fasic after deciding I needed a second opinion on my ongoing back problems. As I'm active in sport I thought it was best I maybe went to a physiotherapist that specialised in sports related injuries. I'm glad I did. The first time you visit Fasic you will be seen by a well trained sports physiotherapist who will then recommended either further treatment if necessary, or that you and see another specialist, which in my case was podiatrist. The only prerequisite is that the injury is either directly sports related, or that you are injured and active in sports. Despite my previous physiotherapy treatment, which was to some extent a success, the physio at Fasic managed to uncover the source of my problem which is a major step forward. I found the attention was great, and the staff were very friendly. All this for a great price. With my discount I spent around £25 for a 45 assessment. That might seem a lot but for physio that is really a bargain! The only drawback is that Fasic it is pretty popular. I am now currently waiting three weeks to see a related specialist. But if the treatment continues at this quality, it will all be worth it. As mentioned already discounts are available to students and those who are members of the gym already.