Non-NHS Services

 

BACK TO MAIN INDEX

 

The NHS does not pay for some of the services we provide. These include private sick notes, insurance forms, holiday cancellation forms, medical reports, fitness to travel certificates, private prescriptions, passport signing and many travel vaccinations.

 

Non-NHS Service Fees

Letters/certificates

Cost (£)
General letter – TWIMC (including gym participation/cancellation; able/unable to attend school; able/unable to participate in activity) £25
Private sick note (first 7 days) £30
Letter to take medication abroad £30
Certificate of fact i.e. ‘This patient has [condition]’ (utilities discounts application, housing support etc) £18
Freedom from infection (where able to provide) £30
Vaccination certificate (confirmation of vaccinations as letter) £30
Fitness to travel (no examination) £40

Proforma/Reports/Insurance forms (without examination)

Cost (£)
Private health insurance claim form validation/completion £40
School fees insurance form £40
Sickness/accident claim form £40

Health questionnaire proforma for activity/participation in a sport/gym

  • please see the section below of what services we do not provide
 £50
Child minder declaration form £85
Fostering medical £85
Firearms license applications (incl. renewals) £80
Full General Practitioner Report (GPR) (requested via Solicitor or Insurance Company) £104
Additional information request following GPR (requested via Solicitor or Insurance Company) £25

Reports/Insurance forms (with examination)

Cost (£)
Private health insurance claim form £60
Sickness/accident claim form £60
Full General Practitioner Report (GPR) (requested via Solicitor or Insurance Company) £150

Miscellaneous

Cost (£)
Private prescription – patient will also need to pay at the chemist/pharmacy/dispensary for the cost of the item £15
Driving licence medical – taxi, HGV, minibus etc £85
Older person driving medical £70
Other medicals i.e. diving/aviation Variable, please check with reception
Hair strand testing (DNA/Drug Testing) £35
Power of Attorney forms – at the Surgery £100
Power of Attorney forms – at home address £130

Private medical services

Cost (£)
Private blood test (commonly for occupational health purposes) £35
Vaccination for Hep B for occupational health purposes – private appointment + vaccine cost. £51 total per dose.

If the service you require is not listed, please ask at reception. In rare instances, where the request results in an unusual amount of additional work, additional charges may apply. This would be discussed with the patient prior to completion of the work.

 

Services we do not provide

  • Passport verification
  • Seat belt exemption
  • Character reference
  • Diving form with or without examination
  • Sky diving form with or without examination
  • Marathon/ultra marathon form with or without examination
  • Any extreme sports form with or without examination
 

Why does my doctor charge fees?

When your doctor is asked to give medical information about you in the form of a report, letter or certificate, the request kick starts a series of processes. This takes time and is not always straightforward or simple to complete. Some of the information is not available easily and will mean the doctor has to sort and select the right information for the request. The doctor also must establish who is funding this work and if it is not part of their NHS work, agree a fee for this.

 

Surely the work is paid for by the NHS?

Many patients see their doctor as the embodiment of the NHS and all that it provides – free care at the point of delivery. However not all work doctors are asked to do is paid for by the NHS and many GPs are self-employed.

This means they must cover their time and costs - staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc - in the same way as any small business. The NHS only pays for NHS work, any work outside of the NHS must be funded by other means and this is why fees are charged.

 

Why does it take so long?

Your doctor receives large amounts of request and which is often to do with whether your general health allows you to do something e.g. to work, receive benefits, drive, play sport, attend school, own a house, a firearm or it is for insurance, court or other medico-legal reasons. All requests will vary in complexity, volume and consistency ranging from signing a certificate which can take minutes, to an in-depth report with an examination that can take hours.

 

What your doctor is signing

When your 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, they may have to check your entire medical record (some of which may not be accessible on a computer or on site).

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.

 

Why does my doctor seem reluctant or say no to this request?

Your doctor is inundated with work. They have to balance their time with treating the sick, keeping their practice afloat and making sure they are doing all of this safely and within their professional duties as a doctor.

With certain exceptions written within their contract, doctors do not have to carry out non-NHS work. However, many choose to for the benefit of you and other families they treat. Where a doctor chooses to undertake the work, we advise them to inform and always agree a fee in advance of undertaking work. Should their volume of work prove to be greater or more complex than expected, the doctor will contact you to discuss how to proceed.

 

What can I do to help?

  • Not all documents need a signature by a doctor and can be done by other professionals. Please check the form and accompanying guidance as you may get a quicker response that way.
  • If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your doctor 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.
  • Don’t book an appointment with your doctor to complete forms without checking with your doctor’s administrative staff as to whether you need to or not.