Private (chargeable) Services
The majority of procedures, consultations and services carried out at this surgery are paid for by the NHS. However, there are some services, such as certain vaccinations and completion of medical reports and forms, which are chargeable as they do not fall under the terms of service of the NHS Standard Contract.
I thought the NHS was supposed to be free?
The NHS provides most health care services free of charge but there are some exceptions. Sometimes the charge is made to cover some of the cost of treatment, and in other cases it is because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, medical reports for insurance companies, claim forms for referral for private care and other letters and forms which require the doctor to review the patient’s medical records outside of their contracted NHS time.
Why does it sometimes take my GP so long to complete my form?
Completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of their patients. Most GPs have a very heavy workload and private requests take up an increasing amount of their time in addition to this.
But I only need the doctor's signature!
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. Therefore, in order to complete even the simplest of forms, the doctor needs 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.
Please note that GPs are not obliged to do any of the above work, it will always take second place to their clinical work. Payment is due prior to any documentation release.
- Our priority is NHS work. This work is normally done in non-NHS time, e.g. evenings and weekends.
- Our fees for these services are displayed below and in the surgery. However, you will be notified of the charge prior to completion if requested.
- Private work can take up to 21 days to complete, this is in line with BMA approved national guidelines.
