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Non NHS Private Fees
How To Request A Letter
Private letters and reports do not take priority over NHS work.
Requests for letters must be put in writing and you must state clearly:
a) Your full name, date of birth and address.
b) To whom it should be addressed
c) The reason for the letter
You can contact reception and ask for a link to be sent via text message or you can email your request to us via our secure online form
We will endeavour to reply within 72 working hours, with information on the fee and further instructions (if any)
Requesting A Letter From Your GP
We receive letter requests for a number of reasons and our doctors are frequently asked to provide private, a ‘To Whom it May Concern’ letter or reports for third parties. The usual fee for a standard letter is a minimum of £35. Although more complicated letters or reports may attract a higher fee. Please allow up to 42 days for any requests to be fulfilled. If we feel the request will take longer, we will notify you at the payment stage.
Why Is There A Charge?
The cost of these letters and reports are not covered by the NHS. They are completed during the GP’s own time and as such there is a fee payable. All letters require the doctor to take time to review a patient’s medical records to ensure that the information provided is correct, then the doctor has to dictate the letter, and finally the admin team has to prepare it ready for collection.
Timescales
Please allow up to 42 days for any requests to be fulfilled.
Content
We will not accept requests for "the doctor must write these exact words".
The GP will write what they know, (factual information) supported by your medical record. Both the letter and the opinion they produce is final and you cannot request changes to be made. The GP has the right to refuse your request or provide alternative wording if they feel it is necessary.
If you insist on the GP changing your letter to suit what you think it should say, or if you want to dictate the contents, we will withdraw our offer to write the letter. Please remember, the doctor is not obliged to write a letter for you at all, as this is not an NHS requirement.
Appropriate Requests
We will try our best to help you, here are a few examples of suitable and non-suitable requests
Examples of appropriate requests:
- Confirmation of medical conditions and / or medication
- Letters for mitigating circumstances, school, universities, employers or courts, etc.
- Letters to the Council/housing requirements
Examples of inappropriate requests:
- Countersigning passport applications
- Letters stating something that is not supported by your medical record
Frequently Asked Questions
Read our FAQs about non-NHS and private services.
Isn’t the NHS supposed to be free?
The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions: prescription charges have existed since 1951, and there are a number of other services for which fees are charged. Sometimes the charge is made to cover some of the cost of treatment, for example, dental fees; in other cases, it is because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, medical reports for insurance companies.
Surely the doctor is being paid anyway?
It is important to understand that 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 fee has to cover the doctor’s costs.
What is covered by the NHS and what is not?
The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients. In recent years, 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 be sure that information provided is true and accurate.
Can you give examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients:
- accident/sickness insurance certificates
- certain travel vaccinations
- private medical insurance reports
Can you give examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions:
- medical reports for an insurance company
- some reports for the DSS/Benefits Agency
- examinations of local authority employees
- DS 1500 Form (Disability Living/Attendance Allowance)
Is it true that the BMA sets fees for non-NHS work?
The BMA suggests fees for non-NHS work which is not covered under a GP’s NHS contract, to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, these fees are guidelines only, 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 – the majority work up to 70 hours a week – 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 or even the Police.
What will I be charged?
The BMA recommends that GPs tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and how much. It is up to the individual doctor to decide how much to charge, but the BMA produces lists of suggested fees which many doctors use. Surgeries often have lists of fees on the waiting room wall based on these suggested fees.
What can I do to help?
- Not all documents need 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 all at once as a (job lot) at a reduced price.
- Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight. You should expect the form(s) to take up to 4 weeks for the GP to complete and return