School Lane SurgeryThe NHS does not cover all services provided at the Surgery. As such a fee may be payable for non-NHS services
Fees and charges for these services are payable in advance before any work is undertaken.
What is non-NHS work and why is there a fee?
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 because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, travel forms, letters or producing medical reports for insurance companies, solicitors or employers.
The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients but not non-NHS work. It is important to understand that GP surgeries are often not employed by the NHS; they are self-employed and they have to cover their costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, in the same way as any small business.
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.
Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their own NHS patients are:
- Accident/sickness certificates for insurance purposes.
- School fee and holiday insurance certificates.
- Reports for health clubs to certify that patients are fit to exercise.
- Private prescriptions for travel purposes.
Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions are:
- Life assurance and income protection reports for insurance companies.
- Reports for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in connection with Disability living allowance and attendance allowance
- Medical reports for local authorities in connection with adoption and fostering
- Copies of records for solicitors
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, they are not required to do such non-NHS work.
Is it true that the British Medical Association (BMA) sets fees for non-NHS work?
The BMA suggest fees that GPs may charge their patients for non-NHS work in order to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, the fees suggested by them 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/letter/report?
Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of their patients. Most GPs have a very heavy workload and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time. Our GPs do non-NHS work out of NHS time at evenings or weekends so that NHS patient care does suffer.
Our priority will always be the delivery of NHS care to our patients.
I only need the doctor’s signature – what is the problem?
When a GP 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 GP.
If you are a new patient we may not have your medical records so the doctor must wait for these before completing the form.
What will I be charged?
It is recommended that we tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and what the fee will be. We have a list of fees for commonly requested work. Payment is taken before work is undertaken. Please contact us to obtain a quote for the non-NHS work.
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. Read the information that comes with these types of forms carefully before requesting your GP to complete them.
- If you have several forms requiring completion, then look to bring these in all at once to save time to speed up the process.
- Make you r request with plenty of time. 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 may cost more.
- On average, non-NHS work will take 4 weeks to complete.
If you have any further questions or queries, then please do feel free to contact us to discuss any of your non-NHS requirements.