What is non-NHS work and why am I being charged?
GP surgeries have a contract with the Government which outlines services that they should provide for their patients via the NHS. Any work carried out by GP surgeries beyond the scope of this contract is not paid for by the NHS.
GPs can provide up-to-date, accurate medical information about their patients to third parties for specific reasons i.e. private medicals or insurance claims. Therefore, in recent years, more and more organisations have been requesting GP input for services which are not covered by the NHS contract. As this type of work is not covered by the contract, GP surgeries do not receive any money for this service.
This work takes time and resources and therefore attaching a fee helps to cover some of that expense.
The BMA (British Medical Association) suggest fees for non-NHS work, which is not covered under GP’s NHS contract.
Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form?
Time spent handling the documents, scanning, updating our records and completing forms/reports takes various staff members away from their usual (NHS) work. GPs have a very heavy workload and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time, so many GPs find they must complete this work in addition to their standard clinical practice.
Additionally, to ensure accurate information is provided, the GP may have to have a detailed look into your medical history including previous consultations, documents and specialist reports which can be time consuming.
What do I do?
If you require a private document, please bring this request to the reception team.
The receptionist will confirm the charge for the work you need, and payment is required in cleared funds prior to commencing work.
To help patients make an informed choice, quotations for non-NHS work can also be obtained from private GP providers, and patients are welcome to choose the option that best meets their needs.
On receipt of cleared payment, your request will be added to our workload. We estimate that requests will take 6-8 weeks to complete and therefore we request that you do not contact us to chase any forms up until after this window.
If patients call us up to check the progress of their request, this creates additional administrative work which may further delay your own or other people’s requests.
On completion of your request, we will contact you to arrange collection or provide you with the information electronically.
Accessing Information from Your Medical Record
Using your online record can often provide the required information immediately, without the need to pay or wait for a letter or report to be prepared.
Many organisations now accept information directly from your medical record, meaning that in many cases you may not need to request a GP letter or additional documentation.
Patients with online access to their medical record can often obtain the information they need quickly and conveniently through the NHS App or their online services account. This may include details of medical conditions, medications, vaccinations, test results and other relevant health information.
Where the Practice does not provide a specific letter, form or non-NHS service, (please refer to the services not available section of the price list) we may be able to offer a printed patient summary as an alternative. This contains key information from your medical record and is accepted by many organisations.
If you are unsure what information is required, please speak to the organisation requesting it, as they may be able to accept information directly from your medical record.
If you do not currently have online access to your medical records and would like to set this up, please visit Managing your health online – Latham House Medical Practice to find out more.
Managing your health online – Latham House Medical Practice to find out more.