Non NHS Work
We are often asked to offer services which are outside of normal NHS work. This includes medical and insurance forms, private medicals as well as reports or letters to support various issues that are affected by health. Unfortunately, a lot of this work is not funded by the NHS and will therefore have to be paid separately.
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 several 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, 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 must 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.
Do GPs have to do non-NHS work for their patients?
With certain limited exceptions, for example work that has been ordered by a court, 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.
Generally, GPs would not refuse any work unless there are justifiable conditions, for example:
- The doctor is unable to complete it within a certain deadline due to other work
- The doctor does not feel they are qualified or expertise enough in answering the report
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) to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, the fees suggested by the BMA are intended for guidance only; they are not recommendations, and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates they suggest.
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 must 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. 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 will I be charged?
The BMA recommends that GPs tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and what the fee will be. It is up to individual doctors to decide how much they will charge. A list of our costs are listed below. Please note these are a guidance for our doctors and there may be differences in cost, if for example, there are more complexities.
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 must make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more.
GUIDE TO NON NHS FEES
| Service | Fee |
| To whom it may concern letters (short GP letter) to support claims such as: housing, school, college, insurance, COVID recovery letter | £10 – £30 |
| Adoption & Fostering – costs dependent on the medical required | From £150 |
| Private Sick Note (Periods within 7 days) | £20 |
| Firearm/Shotgun Certificate | From £50 |
| Fitness to travel, cost dependent on time to complete | From £30 |
| Fitness to travel with examination | From £100 |
| Holiday cancellation Cert (excluding examination) | £40 |
| Holiday cancellation Cert (with examination) | £80 |
| Ofsted reports Childminding/teaching | £90 |
| CAMP America forms | £30 |
| Private medical examinations HGV, PSV, Taxi, Driving Medicals – (Subject to GP availability). If an eye test is needed as part of the examination please arrange this with an optician, we are unable to accurately test eyesight in the practice. | £90 |
| Sickness/accident claim form completion | £40 |
| DVLA medical over 75’s | £90 |
| Private medical/insurance form completion ie BUPA/PPP (Price will be based upon workload/information required) | From £50 |
PRIVATE VACCINATIONS
| Private Vaccinations | Fee |
| HPV9 extra doses Please have a read of our guide on whether a 2nd or 3rd dose is needed or not before booking for an extra dose. | £150 prices vary depending on cost of vaccine |
| Hepatitis B (for non NHS vaccine, eg for work or travel related purposes), normally requires 3 doses. | £40 each |
| Chicken Pox (normally requires two doses) | £75 per dose |
| We do not offer Yellow Fever vaccines as this needs a special license. We would recommend attending a local travel clinic. |
SOLICITORS
| Service | Fee |
| Request for report based on records | From £110 |
| Report with examination | From £130 |
INSURANCE REPORTS
| Service | Fee |
| Full General Practitioner Report (GPR) | From £110 |
| Full General Practitioner Report (GPR) with examination | From £150 |
OTHER THIRD PARTY REQUESTS
(Work accepted where GP has capacity, this will be advised at the time of application along with timeframe)
| Service | Fee |
| Request for report by employer/occupational health without examination | From £110 |
| Army/RAF/Navy medical with examination | £130 |
| DVLA Report | From £90 |
| DVLA Examination | From £120 |
We do NOT offer the following services:
- Court of Protection (COP3)/Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) assessments
- Capacity assessments for financial / testamentary capacity
These are very specialist and niche area of medical practise and should be carried out by psychiatrist or specialist doctors with experience in such assessments.
- Private drug testing for insurance, occupational or probationary work
- References for employment purposes
- Signing for Passports and Home Office declarations. Please note that doctors are specifically exempt from the list of accepted registered occupations that can countersign a passport. Please do not ask the GP to offer this.