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
- Passport signing
- Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
- Private sick notes
- Vaccination certificates
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.
FEES REGARDING TREATMENT AFTER RTA's
Road Traffic Act 1988, Section 158; Road Traffic Accidents (Payments for Treatment) Order 1995
Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, the first doctor providing emergency treatment to the victim of a road traffic accident is entitled to charge a fee. A fee may be levied in respect of each person treated (Section 158(2) of the Road Traffic Act 1988).
NHS funding does not cover the emergency treatment of road traffic accident (RTA) victims and clinician's can charge a fee of £21.30 for each patient consulted. This fee is payable regardless of whether or not the patient is registered with the practice.
Patients are advised that this fee is payable at the time of the consultation and that they can reclaim the fee from the driver’s insurance company. This is their legal right that is laid down in statute.
The BMA advises that, since there may be a delay before injuries become apparent, anyone seen within one working day can be deemed an emergency.
Where the purpose for attending a GP surgery is to record injuries for future medico-legal purposes this is not covered by the Road Traffic Act and the GPs may charge their own rate for this work. The rate applicable at the surgery is £85, the fee for a private patient consultation.
Fees for Non-NHS Services
The majority of procedures, consultations and services carried out at this surgery are paid for by the NHS. However, where additional services are provided, we are required to pass on the specific cost to patients. The type of additional, non-NHS funded services most frequently requested include:
Our fees for these services, which are in line with BMA approved national guidelines, are displayed below and in the surgery.
Please note the surgery only accepts cash payments, no card or cheque payments.
MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS AND REPORTS
Claim form (e.g. private health, sickness/accident, holiday cancellation) | £50 |
GPR report | £104 to £300 |
Supplementary | £27 |
Blue Badge/Bus pass | £25 |
Fitness to travel certificate/letter | £30-£63 |
Health Club form (no examination) | £30-£63 |
Student nurse occupational health form | £30 |
Hackney Carriage Licence | £110 |
Comprehensive clinical exam (45 mins) e.g. HGV/PSV | £110 |
Letter – To whom it may concern | £30-£63 |
Paternity testing (patient to supply kit) | £40 |
Power of Attorney - consultation at the surgery | £200 |
Power of Attorney - home visit | £225 |
Freedom from infection certificate | £25 |
Private Prescription for malaria protection
for patients travelling abroad | £15 |
Private school sick note | £30 |
Private sick notes | £30 |
Report on pro-forma no exam (20 mins) | £89.50 |
Report without exam detailed opinion and statement condition of patient (30 mins) | £133 |
Occupational health report without examination | £130 |
Vaccination certificate | £30 |
TRAVEL / OCCUPATIONAL VACCINATIONS
Hepatitis B injection adult (course of 3 injections) Patients can ask their employers to reimburse the cost of the vaccination. ONLY patients who are in currently in post and employed by the NHS are eligible for free vaccination. | £86.29 |
Hepatitis B injection child (course of 3 injections) | £64.80 |
WHY IS THERE A FEE?
The following is taken fom BMA website - Why GPs sometimes charge fees
Why do GPs sometimes charge fees?
Your questions answered
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.
Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients are:
- accident/sickness insurance certificates
- certain travel vaccinations
- private medical insurance reports
Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions are:
- medical reports for an insurance company
- some reports for the DSS/Benefits Agency
- examinations of local authority employees
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.
You can read more here about BMA suggested fees.
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: urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more.