Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
• Insurance claim forms
• Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
• Firearms license forms
• Private sick notes
• Vaccination certificates

If you require one of these services, please contact the surgery and you will be put through to a member of staff who can deal with your enquiry.

Housing/Benefit Letters

Requests for letters for benefits, council or any other third party will only be completed with a formal request from the third party.  Please note all requests from the third party will require the patients formal consent.    We will only complete factual responses, we are not allowed to give an opinion.  If in doubt we will refuse to complete the request and may issue a copy of medical records instead with your consent.

Housing Applications

If you are intending to apply for a council home for health reasons, you do not need a doctor’s letter.

The Council will write, in confidence, to your doctor if further information is required.

GPs receive frequent requests for medical letters and reports in support of housing applications from a variety of sources – the local authority, housing associations, directly from patients and from patients via Citizens Advice Bureau. All requests should come via the Housing Association and not the patient.

Information in support of an application based on health grounds should be supplied by the applicant using a form provided by the Housing Department (self-assessment). This should not require any input from the GP/practice.

Only if additional information is required, should the Housing Department Medical Officer obtain it from the applicant’s doctor, preferably using a standard form, provided the patient has given written consent.

The Medical Officer should seek information which is only available to the GP, for example:

• the diagnosis
• severity of the illness
• medication

Why do GPs charge fees?

The NHS provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions. Completion of a medical report for insurance companies, claim forms and other letters and forms that require the doctor to review your medical records are NOT covered by the NHS. These are an additional service provided by your GP.

Surely the doctor is being paid anyway?

It is important to know that the 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 any small business). The NHS pays the doctor for specific NHS work, but for non-NHS work the fee has to cover the doctor's costs.

I just need a quick signature - why does it take so long?

Bear in mind that a doctor will not sign anything without making sure the information they are providing is accurate. This has to be done during specific times allocated for administrative functions. Forms/letters cannot be just slipped in in between consultations. All requests for medical information have to go through an admin process and allocated to a GP. Not all our GPs work every day, hence we ask patients to allow up to 4 weeks to process. There are always exceptions so please ask if you are in desperate need for information to be provided urgently.