Non-NHS (private) Services

What are non-NHS services?

Some requests made to the practice fall outside the services funded by the NHS and are therefore classed as private or non-NHS work. Where a request falls outside NHS services, a fee may apply.

Examples include:

Subject Access Requests
Private medical letters
Insurance forms and reports
Capability Assessments
DVLA medicals

NHS access or fit notes
Holiday cancellation claims
Firearm medical reports
Occupational Health questionnaire
Solicitor or insurance medical reports

Fees and Payment

Fees

Non-NHS work is not funded by the NHS. These services require both clinical and administrative time and are completed outside of the GP’s NHS commitments. Please note that completion of private forms, reports and letters is at the discretion of the Practice, the GP’s and NHS work will always take priority.

Any fees charged help cover the time required for an appropriately qualified clinician to review records, complete documentation and provide professional opinions where requested.

Fee Structure

To provide a fair and transparent approach, the Practice will now operate a tiered charging structure based on the complexity of the request, the time required to review the records and whether archived paper notes need to be retrieved.

Our fee structure will be updated shortly, in the meantime, please email our Private Work Team at css.privatework@nhs.net for more information.

How to Submit A Request

Patient requests can be submitted via :

Email
By post or in person to Church Street surgery only
Online consultation

Please submit your request making sure to include:

Patient’s full name
Patient’s date of birth
Contact telephone number
Details of your request
Any forms or supporting documents

You will be notified within 4 working days if we are able to undertake the work, the estimated timescale for completion and the applicable fee. If you agree to the fee, an invoice will be issued for payment via BACS or debit card (card fee may apply). We will only accept cash payments in exceptional circumstances.

Timescales

How long will my request take?

Most private work requests will be completed within four weeks, however timescales may vary depending on:

the nature and complexity of the request
the clinician involved and time required
the volume of private work requests being processed

We recommend submitting requests as early as possible where deadlines apply. However, please note that NHS clinical work will always take priority over private work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I being charged?

Non-NHS also known as private work is not funded by the NHS and cannot be carried out during GP’s NHS clinic time. Any fee charged relates to administrative processing, the professional time needed to review records, prepare reports, complete paperwork and provide medical opinion or judgement.

Can my request be completed urgently?

Unfortunately we cannot guarantee urgent completion of private work requests. Requests are processed alongside the Practice’s NHS commitments, which will always take priority.

Will my request be accepted?

No. The Practice may decline requests at our discretion. This may be where our clinicians do not believe they have sufficient knowledge, expertise, or information to complete them appropriately. We may also decline requests if we are unable to process within the required timescale.

Can I request a specific GP?

You may request a specific GP however requests may need to be allocated to the most appropriate and available GP.

Why will it take so long to complete?

Our Private Work team can receive up to 100 requests each week from patients, medical insurance companies, Department of Work & Pensions, Local Authority teams and Occupational Health teams. Each request must be reviewed and actioned by our administrative team before issuing an invoice for payment.

Once payment has been received, our administrative team will gather the necessary records, supporting documents and prepare the request for submission to the appropriate GP. Retrieving historic paper patient notes from archive can take up to two weeks and notes must be scanned onto patient records before including within the request.

GPs do not complete non-NHS work every day as NHS commitments must take priority so this can delay review and completion. It is a condition of the General Medical Council and UK Law that a GP can only sign a certificate or complete a medical report to what they believe to be true.

It may therefore be necessary, even if the completion of the simplest of forms, that they review a patient’s entire medical record. Inaccurate or false completion can have serious consequences to the patient and clinician.

Mental Capacity Assessments

For GPs, it is an essential part of the role to perform capacity assessments which relate to specific decisions regarding medical investigations, treatment, and care. However, Mental Capacity Assessments must be carried out by an appropriately qualified or specialist professionals when relating to: