Non-NHS Services

Some services are not covered by the NHS and our practice will therefore charge a fee for completion of this work.

As the British Medical Association suggest
“With certain exceptions written within their contract, doctors do not have to carry out non-NHS work. However, many choose to for the benefit of you and other families they treat.”
“Why does my doctor charge fees?” BMA website. Retrieved 14 February 2023.

Before submitting a form or a request it is worth reading about some important considerations which act as a checklist and can save you time.

• Always confirm the fee, timescales and that the non-NHS work will be completed before you hand any documents to the practice.
• Don’t book an appointment with your GP to complete forms without confirming your GP will complete such a form and checking whether you actually need to book an appointment to have the form completed (as this maybe an unnecessary appointment).
• Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight. NHS work will always take priority and so there is no guarantee non-NHS work will be completed before our set timescale guidance.
• Not all documents need a signature by a doctor and can be done by other professionals. Please check the form and accompanying guidance as you may get a quicker and cheaper response that way.
• Remember if you access your records online (see under Online Access To Your Records), you can print out a copy of your notes including your medication and this may suffice for a number of requests and is free.
• If you are told you need a letter of support from your GP by another organisation always challenge the necessity and value of such a letter as in many cases it can be unnecessary bureaucracy for us (despite any fee we charge) with little value to you.