Gildhart research
What AI tells UK patients.Measured, checked and published.
We put the questions patients ask to ChatGPT and Claude, in real UK towns and cities, then check every pharmacy and clinic they name. The findings are free to read and free to cite.
- 480AI answers
- 12UK places
- 54local clinics checked
New research · November 2026
Who AI Recommends: UK Private Healthcare 2026
- 36 of 480answers named a real local independent
- 14 of 54local clinics AI named don’t exist
- 10 of 12answers named one Gildhart client
How we run a study
Real questions, real places, every name checked.
- 1The questions patients ask.For each private service, asked four ways: directly, for the best, from a situation, and on price.
- 2In real places.Each question is asked as a member of the public in a named UK city or market town.
- 3ChatGPT and Claude.Through their makers’ APIs, with the same answer length, so the two can be compared fairly.
- 4Every name checked.Each provider is sorted as chain, online-only, private group, NHS or independent, and every local independent is searched for to see if it exists.
The limits are published with the numbers. AI answers vary, a dozen places are a snapshot, and when a Gildhart client is in the data we say so and show the results without them. Read the full method
Using our numbers
Free to quote. Please credit and link.
Journalists, trade bodies and pharmacy groups are welcome to use the findings. Credit Gildhart and link to the study so readers can check the method.
Suggested citation
Gildhart (2026). Who AI Recommends: UK Private Healthcare 2026. gildhart.com/research/who-ai-recommends-2026
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Every branch, every town
The study, run on every town your group trades in: named, not named, and who holds the place instead.
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