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Non NHS Private Fees

Learn more about private services fees

Most of the services we offer are free under the NHS, however we are more than happy to accommodate non NHS work such as insurance forms, medicals, TWIMC letters etc.

As these services are not covered by the NHS a standard charge may be made in line with the British Medical Association recommendations. The fee will reflect both the doctor's time to carry out the service and the doctor's professional opinion and it may also include the cost of nursing or secretarial support, stationary and consumables.

Please email the practice with your request or post a letter in our post box detailing your requirement, including any forms, into the practice. Our staff will contact you BEFORE the work is done to confirm that your GP is able to do the work requested and inform you of the charge payable.

If you wish to proceed, we will usually commit to complete the work that you have requested within 28 days from date of payment. Should this not be possible, for example due to GP holidays or requests for a larger than normal piece of work, our staff will inform you when they contact you as above.

Certificates and Forms

The practice is unable to countersign passports or driving licences.

To Whom it May Concern Letter - from £20.00
Private Sick Note / Letter to Employer - from £20.00
Holiday Cancellation / Travel Insurance - from - £30.00
Firearms - £85.00
Taxi Medical / HGV - £85.00

If you wish to pay an invoice electronically then please contact the Secretarial Team for BACS details.

Private Vaccinations for travel or occupation

We are unable to offer private vaccines. Patients will need to contact a private travel clinic to have these administered.

Private blood and other tests

The practice will establish the cost of the test(s) from the Laboratory, the patient informed and the fee paid in advance. A copy of the invoice will be given to the patient when the practice is charged: To be established
Please note that consultations and subsequent tests with Specialist Consultants undertaken privately may not be eligible under the NHS. Charges applied for blood and other tests to the Practice will be passed on to patients.
There is a fee chargeable for the clinician to perform the test of: £30.00
We are unable to provide DNA testing.

Blue Badge and PIP Applications

We do not recommend patients requesting letters for support for either of these applications. As this is non-NHS work, the letter will attract a charge. However, you are able to get all the information you require yourself from your medical record, which is available to you online via the Patient Access app. To improve the chance of a successful application, you need to ensure you have filled the form out thoroughly, ensuring you are clearly detailing the difficulties and disabilities you have in your everyday life.

A doctor's letter will not add anything extra to your application as we can only produce a letter from your records. It makes sense for you to do this yourself at no expense to you. All you need to do is to print the problem list and consultations within your medical history and then ensure you reference these in your application. The assessors are looking at how your conditions are disabling you in your daily life. Therefore, it is the way you demonstrate your difficulties on your application that will help you.

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