NON-NHS SERVICES

Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV, Seafarer’s Medicals (ENG1s) etc.)
• Insurance claim forms
• Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes
• Vaccination certificates

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability. Appointments for medicals are treated as lower priority than looking after sick patients, so need to be booked well in advance to ensure that they can be done when they are needed.

I ONLY NEED A DOCTOR'S SIGNATURE, WHY IS THERE A CHARGE

When a doctor signs a certificate or report, it is a condition of the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true. They are signing in their professional capacity. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, the doctor will need to verify the information, which can require reading, checking and cross-referencing the clinical record. 

For more information about charges, please refer to www.bma.org 

BLUE BADGES

The blue badge scheme for disabled people using cars is administrated by the council. The council's occupational therapist assesses fitness where this is required. Click to access the council's blue badge pages. 

A LETTER FOR HOUSING

The housing departments and housing associations in various council areas have a scoring system for allocating properties to people. It includes 2 points for medical conditions. The local housing association has a system of their own for giving people 0 1 or 2 points. They don't want our advice and have told us that they don't need it. If they require a medical report to help them with awarding points, they will write to us directly. We do not provide letters about housing unless the housing association/housing department has requested this directly from us. If you request an unnecessary letter to support your housing application, then this will attract a charge for which you will be liable. 

A LETTER ABOUT EXAMS

The Joint Council for Qualifications has confirmed that as far as they are concerned, if a student was absent from an examination as a result of illness and has the support of the school or centre to be absent, special consideration will be granted on that basis. Awarding organisations do not insist that medical proof is provided.

Check here for more information: Advice from the BMA and Dept of Education

CHARGES FOR NON-NHS SERVICES

The current scale of the most common non-NHS fees are available on request: If you need to know the fee for any non-NHS service, please contact us. It is recommended that you check the fee, and who is responsible for paying it, before asking for non-NHS work to be done.

SICK NOTES FOR MINOR ILLNESSES LASTING LESS THAN A WEEK

Your employer cannot insist on you providing a sick note for the first seven days that you are sick. There is no statutory requirement for a doctor's sick note before day 8. If your employer would like confirmation that you have consulted us about your symptoms and have the doctor's support for leave on health grounds, then this is chargable. The sum is modest, and the responsibility for paying this lies with the employer, not the employee, whose right to self-certify is enshrined in law. 

Advice about sick notes

Arranging private medical care?