Non NHS Private Fees

 

Learn more about private services fees

Private fees are payable for work not funded by the NHS. Examples of these include:

  • Travel vaccinations / malaria tablets
  • Private prescriptions (for medicines not available through the NHS)
  • Insurance claim forms
  • DVLA medicals (taxi driver / elderly / racing driver)
  • Fitness to attend university (mitigating circumstances)/ college / sporting event
  • Private sick certificates
  • Solicitors’ letters

For reports such as insurance reports/forms, medical/supporting/solicitor letters please complete our secure online form. If this is not possible, please hand the forms in at reception for the attention of the Reception Manager. If you require a medical examination, the Reception Manager will be in touch to book an appointment with a GP outside of their NHS clinic hours. Please ensure we have your up-to-date contact details.

 

List of Private Fees

No report/medical certificate will be done until payment is received. Payment MUST be made in advance. We accept the following  payment methods: cash, bank transfer or credit/debit card.

Please note: There will be an additional charge of £2.53 for any card transaction to cover the fees charged by our card provider (Square). For cash, we will require the EXACT payment. We do not keep change on surgery premises.

We do not offer refunds. The payment is for the time taken and responsibility of the report which must be factual & written in the way the clinician feels comfortable.

Further amendment requests are at the discretion of the doctor and chargeable.

Please do not book a standard GP appointment for private reports or medicals.

Fees for private work are listed below. If you are unsure or require more information, please contact reception.

  • Sick notes/prescriptions/ private sick note £20.00
  • Private prescription for travel (malaria) £15.00
  • Reports/ very short letter (few lines) £40.00
  • Housing letter £40.00
  • Firearms report £60.00
  • Fitness to travel/fitness to fly £40.00
  • Fitness to attend gym/health club/sports event* £40.00
  • Fitness to work/study/appear on stage* £40.00
  • Private medical insurance claim form* £50.00
  • Holiday cancellation certificate/claim form* £40.00 

* Examination is required -  therefore will be an additional fee of £60 added to the cost.

  • Proof of registration  £20.00 

Please Note: The letter will state that we can confirm when the patient has been registered at the practice & confirm the current registered address (as provided to us by the patient). The letter is not intended to provide confirmed address of current residency as the address given at registration (or subsequently updated) is not independently verified. Consequently, this letter should not be used for purposes beyond confirming the current address registered with West Hampstead Medical Centre.

 

Insurance Reports

Price may vary according to the complexity of report Insurance Reports (as per BMA rates)

  • Life assurance initial report £104.00 
  • Supplementary reports £27.00
 

Medical Examinations

  • LGV/PCV/ taxi medical examination £100.00  (Optician report must be provided before the medical)
  • Life assurance medical examination £100.00 
  • Private adoption/fostering medicals up to £250.00

Why do GPs sometimes charge fees?

Read our frequently asked questions about non-NHS and private services.

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.

Can you give examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients:

  • accident/sickness insurance certificates
  • certain travel vaccinations
  • private medical insurance reports

Can you give examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions:

  • medical reports for an insurance company
  • some reports for the DSS/Benefits Agency
  • examinations of local authority employees
  • DS 1500 Form (Disability Living/Attendance Allowance)

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.

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. You should expect the form(s) to take up to 4 weeks for the GP to complete and return

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