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Non NHS Private Fees

 

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

About Our Fees

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.

If we need to make a charge for the work, we will ask you to pay this at the reception desk at the beginning of the process. We will print you a receipt. We can only take card payments.

We have tried to keep the prices as low as possible and as simple as possible however sometimes we are asked to do work that is not straightforward and may need a special price. Our prices are related to the amount of time it takes the GP and the administration team to complete the work.

Some requests are more complicated and may require that the reception team take your document and consult with others before we contact you and let you know if there is a cost / what that cost may be.

We will not start work on any Non-NHS request until we have received payment. This is due to too many instances where work has been done and not been paid for or not collected.

Non-NHS Work costs the practice more than it receives in income to cover the activity. This may mean price increases or a reduction in services provided. We have to focus GP time on providing NHS Services.

Please do not ask GPs to complete forms that can be completed by other professionals (such as passport photos etc.).

 

Non-NHS Charges

We are only able to take card payments.

Cost: Free - £0

  • Access to Health Records (please use the NHS App / Online Access)
    • Talk to us about accessing your records, it is free for you, but costs us a significant amount of money to process every request. Please help us to help you quicker, ask us if there is something specific that you would like to see and we can help provide the specific information you need. Every request we receive takes our team away from other patient care.
  • Council Tax Exemption Form
  • Guide Dog / Assistance Dog Form
  • Jury Service - Letter stating unfitness to serve
  • Printed Vaccinations List
  • Private Prescription
  • Proof of registration at surgery

Cost: £10

  • Blue Badge Disability - Form
  • Disabled Travel Pass - Form
  • Medications Travel Letter - unsigned by GP but with Practice Stamp

Cost: £30 - GP Supporting Letters or Forms

  • Bus Pass Letter
  • Camp America Forms
  • Disabled Travel Pass
  • Housing Letter
  • Medications Travel Letter - Signed by GP
  • Occupational Health & Wellbeing SEQOHS for Police Constable
  • PIP / ESA Letter
  • School / University / Education Letter 

Cost: £40 - Letter or Form Signed by GP

  • DNA Testing – Administration Fee
  • Gym Membership Form / Letters
  • Holiday Cancellation Form
  • Income Protection Insurance Claim Form
  • Letting Agency Housing Form - Medical Fitness
  • OFSTED Form
  • Power of Attorney – Witnessing at Surgery
  • Private Health Care Insurance Claim Form
  • To Whom It May Concern GP Letter
  • Travel / Holiday Related Letter – signed by a GP
  • Urine Test - Private

Cost: £60

  • Firearms Medical Form - GP Medical Statement

Cost: £75

  • Power of Attorney Witnessing – at Home
  • Private GP Appointment per 20 minutes e.g. for overseas visitors

Cost: £140

  • Transport Medical - Taxi, HGV, Bus

Cost: £160

  • Power of Attorney Assessment – at Surgery

Cost: £190

  • Power of Attorney Assessment – at Home
 

Frequently Asked Questions

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 a number of 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, medical reports for insurance companies.

Surely the doctor is being paid anyway?

It is important to understand that 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 as any small business. The NHS covers these costs for NHS work, but for non-NHS work the fee has to cover the doctor’s costs.

What is covered by the NHS and what is not?

The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients. In recent years, 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 be sure that information provided is true and accurate.

Can you give examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients:

  • accident/sickness insurance certificates
  • certain travel vaccinations
  • private medical insurance reports

Can you give examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions:

  • medical reports for an insurance company
  • some reports for the DSS/Benefits Agency
  • examinations of local authority employees
  • DS 1500 Form (Disability Living/Attendance Allowance)

Is it true that the BMA sets fees for non-NHS work?

The BMA suggests fees for non-NHS work which is not covered under a GP’s NHS contract, to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, these fees are guidelines only, not recommendations, and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates suggested.

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 – the majority work up to 70 hours a week – and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time, so many GPs find they have to 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. 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 doctor with the General Medical Council or even the Police.

What will I be charged?

The BMA recommends that GPs tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and how much. It is up to the individual doctor to decide how much to charge, but the BMA produces lists of suggested fees which many doctors use. Surgeries often have lists of fees on the waiting room wall based on these suggested fees.

What can I do to help?

  • Not all documents need 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 all at once as a (job lot) at a reduced price.
  • Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight. You should expect the form(s) to take up to 4 weeks for the GP to complete and return