FAQs
Why do GP’s sometimes charge fees?
Most of the services offered by the surgery are free under the NHS.
Some of the services are not covered and for these your GP, like other professionals, can charge a fee.
The fee will reflect both the doctors’ time to carry out the service and the doctor’s professional opinion. It may also include the cost of nursing or secretarial support, stationary and consumables.
Isn’t the NHS supposed to be free?
The NHS 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 covered medical services to NHS patients. In recent years more organisations have been involving doctors in a range of non-medical work because they are in a position of trust in the community or because an insurance company wants to be sure the information you are providing them is accurate.
Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge NHS patients are:
- Accident/sickness insurance certificates
- Certain travel vaccines
- Private medical insurance reports
Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions are:
- Medical reports for insurance company
- Some reports for DSS/Benefits Agency
- Examinations of local authority employees
Why does it take a long time for the GP 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 70-80 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 nights and weekends.
I only need the doctor’s signature – what’s 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 forms the doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record. Carelessness or inaccurate reporting can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council or even the Police.
What will I be charged?
We advise our patients in advance if they will be charged, and how much. Please refer to our fee list on this page.