Non-NHS Services
Not all services we provide are funded by the NHS. We are contracted by the NHS to look after your health under a medical services contract. Some items are not covered by this contract and will be charged for.
These include, but are not limited to;
- Medical examinations for work, travel, sports or the DVLA
- Insurance reports
- Completing forms, e.g. passports, residency applications, proof of address
- Some medications and vaccines for travel
- Private sick notes
- Vaccination certificates
The NHS has limited funds and does not cover the cost of any medical work associated with the above. We undertake this work on a private basis.
You will be advised of non-NHS services that will attract a fee before the work is completed. We base our fees on British Medical Association recommendations. You don't need to be a registered patient at the surgery for some reports. If you are unsure just ask.
Please remember to bring along the form you need us to complete. We do not keep forms as there are simply too many to store and they change too often.
For DVLA forms follow this link.
FAQs
Why do we need to charge?
Like any business we need to pay our staff for the work they do. Non-NHS work takes our staff away form their normal NHS roles and adds extra hours to their day. Please remember that there are many steps and staff members involved in the process from your request for work to be done to the completed work returning to you. The time taken to do these tasks is often underestimated. A simple letter or form will take a route through the organisation involving up to 5 members of staff (reception -> clinician -> scanner & coder -> accounts -> back to reception).
If your report is employment related, do check with your employer as they may refund you for our work.
Isn’t the NHS supposed to be free?
The NHS provides most health services to people free of charge, but there are some exceptions. Prescription charges have existed since 1951. Sometimes a charge is made because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, providing copies of health records or producing medical reports for insurance companies.
Surely the doctor is being paid anyway?
It is important to understand that many GPs are not employed by the NHS. They are self-employed and they have to cover their costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc – in the same way as any small business. The NHS covers these costs for NHS work, but for non-NHS work, the fees charged by GPs contribute towards their costs.
What is covered by the NHS and what is not?
The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients, including the provision of ongoing medical treatment. In recent years, however, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a whole range of non-medical work. Sometimes the only reason that GPs are asked is because they are in a position of trust in the community, or because an insurance company or employer wants to ensure that information provided to them is true and accurate.
Do GPs have to do non-NHS work for their patients?
With certain limited exceptions, for example a GP confirming that one of their patients is not fit for jury service, GPs do not have to carry out non-NHS work on behalf of their patients. Whilst GPs will always attempt to assist their patients with the completion of forms, for example for insurance purposes, they are not required to do such non-NHS work.
Is it true that the BMA sets fees for non-NHS work?
The BMA suggests fees that GPs may charge their patients for non-NHS work (i.e. work not covered under their contract with the NHS) in order to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, the fees suggested are intended for guidance only; they are not recommendations and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates suggested.
Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form?
Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of his or her patients. Most GPs have a very heavy workload and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time, so many GPs find they have to take some paperwork home at night and weekends.
I only need the doctor’s signature – what is the problem?
When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, therefore, the doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record. Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the Police.
What can I do to help?
- Not all documents need a signature by a doctor, for example passport applications. You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign such documents free of charge.
- If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your GP if he or she is prepared to complete them at the same time to speed up the process.
- Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight. Urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more.