| Private Work |
Private fees
The doctors are entitled to charge to some items of work. NHS work is free at the point of contact and involves things like seeing the doctor for a normal consultation, home visits and minor surgery. You will not be charged for NHS work.
However, other work attracts a private fee, payable by the patient. These include: private sick notes, passport applications, holiday cancellation forms, insurance claim forms, HGV medicals, pre-employment medicals and other medical examinations. For an additional fee, we offer a same day service on urgently required certificates, passport applications and claim forms. Please ask at reception. A list of current BMA approved fees is on display in the waiting room.
The following FAQ's are from the BMA website:
Why do gps sometimes charge fees?
Your questions answered (January 2003)
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 contact with GP's 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 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
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.
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