We do not provide letters or assessments for:
- Housing Letters
- Firearms medical certificates
- Blue badge (this does not require a GP’s signature)
- Seatbelt exemption
- Medical opinions on fitness to drive – discuss with DVLA specialist medical advisors
- Passport or other identity applications
- Bus-Pass application
- Interpretation of private results
- Fitness to fly or airport assistance letters
- Camp America forms
- Fitness to attend a gym or fitness class
Non-NHS Services:
The NHS provides most healthcare free of charge. There are exceptions, such as provision of medical reports for insurance companies, claims on private health insurance and private letters or forms.
GPs are not employed by the NHS. The NHS contracts specific clinical work – private letters or insurance forms are not included in this workload.
The practice is therefore responsible for the associated costs eg. staffing, buildings and printing. This cost must be met in the same way as any small business.
Sometimes, GPs are asked to provide additional services which fall outside their contract and in these circumstances, they are entitled to make a reasonable charge for providing them.
The fees can be found below. The reception staff will be happy to accept forms / take details and pass to the GP. Please do not make appointments for Non-NHS Services.
Timescales:
Please allow up to 28 days for the work to be completed. The practice has a substantial volume of non-NHS work to complete weekly and it is all done in addition to the NHS workload.
An additional charge may be levied for more urgent requests.
A PDF listing the fees for non-NHS services can be found below.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Non-NHS Services
Further information below explains what non-NHS work is and why there is a cost associated with providing these services.
Why do GPs charge fees?
The NHS provides most healthcare free of charge. There are exceptions, such as provision of medical reports for insurance companies, claims on private health insurance and private letters and forms.
GPs are not employed by the NHS. The NHS contracts specific clinical work – private letters or insurance forms are not included in this workload.
The practice is therefore responsible for the associated costs eg. staffing, buildings and printing. This cost must be met in the same way as any small business.
Does my GP Practice need to complete private work for me?
There is no obligation for GPs to complete forms or assessments that are not NHS contracted services.
Several local private medical providers specifically provide these services. We are unable to provide recommendations to specific private services. We encourage you to ensure appropriate qualification and quality assurance service standards are met.
No charge is applicable for:
- Jury excusal on medical grounds
- Access to medical records (unless excessive request)
- Adoption medicals
We do not provide letters or assessments for:
- Firearms Medical Certificates
- Blue Badge (this does not require a GP’s signature)
- Seatbelt Exemption
- Passport or other identity applications
- Bus-Pass application
- Interpretation of private results
- Fitness to Fly or Airport assistance letters
- Camp America Forms
- Fitness to attend a gym or fitness class
How long will a private form take to complete?
Please allow up to 28 days for the work to be completed. The practice has a substantial volume of non-NHS work to complete weekly and it is all done in addition to the NHS work and hours.
An additional charge may be levied for more urgent requests.
All I need is a signature, why is this not free?
When a doctor signs a certificate or completes any medical report, this takes considerable time to complete. A professional medical opinion requires thorough assessment of medical records. In some cases, this dates back to birth.
GPs are required by the General Medical Council to self-fund professional medical indemnity. This can cost thousands of pounds each year for the practice.
Inaccurate report can have serious legal or fitness to practice consequences with the General Medical Council or the criminal justice system.
How much will I be charged?
Please see attached sheet with current price-list for non-NHS services.
How do I request a non-NHS service offered by the practice?
- Requests for private work need to be submitted in writing
- Please enclose any forms or documents requiring completion
- Once your request has been received and processed by our administration team, a fee will be agreed before completion of any work. We will contact you to discuss this first
- Once the fee has been confirmed & accepted, non-NHS work will be completed by the GP
- When letters or private forms are completed, a copy will be filed to your medical records and we will notify you when ready to collect, with any outstanding fees to be settled
As NHS providers, our priority remains clinical NHS care.
Our GPs will always attempt to assist you where appropriate and possible.
In order for private work to be completed without impacting our NHS service, GPs complete these requests out-with core hours.