Private Work
Dealing with the increased workload relating to direct patient care due to demand is our priority at this time.
We will complete private work as soon as we can, this includes insurance claims forms, medical reports etc. We ask for your understanding and politely request that you do not call us to discuss this, our staff are currently working to full capacity and cannot assist further at this time. Callers chasing private work requests will be referred back to this information.
Thank you for your co-operation.
Non-NHS Services
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
- Private sick notes
- Vaccination certificates
We Do NOT provide passport signing.
The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability.
Doctors Letters and Forms FAQ
Why am I being charged?
Forms are often needed to be filled out by your GP for a variety of reasons – e.g. occupational, social, holidays, insurance claims, etc. The NHS does not provide any payment to cover the cost of these, so GP’s have to charge for both their time and the administrative side of filling out these forms.
We charge not only for our time, but also the responsibility we take on when we fill out forms and provide letters. The responsibility that the information is complete and nothing is missing. Also the responsibility in certain cases of our opinion, e.g. in ‘fitness to participate’ letters.
Isn’t it just a quick signature?
In short – no. Virtually all forms require us to, at the very least examine your notes (both paper and electronic) to make sure we are including and taking into account all your past medical history and this can take time – even if you do not have much past medical history, there is often more in your medical notes than you realise. Even where we are just providing a letter with a couple of lines to say e.g. fit to travel – we have done a thorough review of your notes to know it is safe to say this. As before, we also have to take responsibility for our opinions should anything happen.
Why does it take so long to get my letter / form done?
As above – it’s not just a ‘quick signature’. We need to review your notes and not all Doctors work all days. Also please bear in mind we have more than 12000 patients so we are likely to have quite a lot of forms to fill out, not to mention our usual duties of caring for patients. We will get it done as soon as we can but this may take time.
It seems expensive?
We try to keep our fees as low as possible but you are paying for the Doctor’s time, the responsibility that they then carry and also the administrative costs.
How / when should I pay?
We accept payment by debit or credit card and cash.
We ask for payment up front before the letter or form is done.
A list of our private / non-NHS fees is displayed in the surgery.