The NHS provides healthcare to most people free of charge. There are exceptions; prescription charges for example have existed in England since 1951. The doctors and healthcare team however are required to make a charge for all services that fall outside of the NHS contract. The services which are not NHS funded tend to fall into two categories as follows:
Those where GP’s can charge their NHS patients:
- Private sick notes
- Some vaccination services such as those required for foreign travel.
- Insurance and holiday cancellation forms
- Passport signing (no longer available)
- Paternity testing
- Fitness to travel letters
- Private prescriptions and dispensing
- Letters and forms regarding fitness to attend some event or undertake extreme sports
- School fees insurance claims
Those where GPs can charge other institutions / organisations:
- Insurance proposal medical report forms
- Employers requesting vaccination of employees for occupational health reasons
adoption and fostering reports and forms - Various medical reports including employment medicals
- Reports for the Dept of Work & pensions (eg Attendance Allowance or Disability Living allowance forms etc)
- Coroners reports
- Cremation forms
Our Non NHS fees are generally in line with BMA national guidelines or less. They reflect not only the cost of a GP’s time but the administrative and overhead costs (like solicitors and other professionals this can be over £200 per hour). a list of typical fees is available and on display at both Health Centres. If you have any doubt about whether a service is free on the NHS or chargeable please do not hesitate to ask.
