Non-NHS services

The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge.

However, the NHS does not pay for some of the services we provide, including GPs providing medicals or signing forms for insurance purposes, pre-employment, or other needs.

We therefore need to charge fees for these non-NHS services. This can include:

  • accident/sickness certificates for insurance claim forms
  • school fee and holiday insurance certificates
  • reports for health clubs to certify that patients are fit to exercise
  • private sick notes
  • medical reports for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV and so on)
  • fitness to travel certificates
  • some vaccination services

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions are:

  • life assurance and income protection reports for insurance companies
  • reports for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in connection with disability living allowance and attendance allowance
  • medical reports for local authorities in connection with adoption and fostering
  • copies of records for solicitors

Please contact the surgery or fill in an online enquiry form to ask about fees for these services and to request a non-NHS service. We will ask for payment upfront.  

 

How long it will take us to complete your request

Please allow four to six weeks for us to turn around requests related to services that are not covered on the NHS. 

Doctors will always prioritise medical care for NHS patients. Our GPs do non-NHS work out of NHS time at evenings or weekends so as not to affect care for NHS patients.

When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, they can only sign what they know to be true. A careless or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the Police. To sign even the simplest of forms, a doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record.

If you are a new patient, we may not have your medical records so the doctor must wait for these before completing the form.

 

Passport applications

Our GPs are no longer able to countersign passport applications and photos. 

You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign these documents free of charge.

 

Travel cancellation insurance claim 

If you have to cancel your holiday please can you ensure you enclose a covering letter to the doctor with the following information:

  • Date the insurance was purchased 
  • Date the holiday was booked 
  • Date of illness onset 
  • Date of holiday 
  • Cancellation date 
 
Private health insurance 

Many people now have private health insurance. Please inform your doctor that you wish to use it, to ensure you receive the correct type of referral. If you are referred on for specialist treatment, then please tell the doctor if you have private health cover before you are referred to the NHS. 

Please note: There is a fee for processing claims forms as outlined in your policy.