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Non NHS Private Fees

Not all services at the practice are available under the NHS. Where non-NHS funded items or services are requested then a private fee will be payable. Fees are payable in advance.

The surgery is registered for VAT. Some items and services are subject to VAT and this will be applied at the standard VAT rate. The practice VAT registration number is: 771 6852 02

This leaflet is for guidance only; not all forms/certificates/vaccinations are listed. Please ask if you have a different form for completion. We also reserve the right to change prices without notice.

Methods of payment - We accept cash and cheques only.
Cheques made payable to Horfield Health Centre.

Certificates / Declarations / Forms

Driving licence countersignature - £25.00 (+£5.00 VAT)
Letter - to whom it may concern - £25.00 (+£5.00 VAT)
Fitness to study/work/exercise/sport without medical exam - £29.17 (+£5.83 VAT)
Seatbelt exemption - £30.00 (no VAT)
Payment protection insurance - £29.17 (+£5.83 VAT)
School fee insurance - £29.17 (+£5.83 VAT)
Concessionary travel forms, blue badge and Diamond bus pass - £13.75 (+£2.75 VAT)
Private sick note - £20.00 (No VAT)
Community service certificate for offenders who fail to attend - £13.75 (+£2.75 VAT)

Medical Reports (Without Examination)

OFSTED health declaration form - £58.33 (+£11.67 VAT)
Life or Health insurance reports (paid by insurance co.) - £97.00 (No VAT)
Extra information report for the above - £22.70 (No VAT)
Occupational health reports - £55.00 (No VAT)
Pre-employment reports - £130.00 (+£26.00 VAT)
Solicitors reports (charges start from) - £75.00 - £155 (+VAT dependant on charge)
Extra information report for the above - £22.14 (+£4.43 VAT)
Local authority reports (paid by a council authority) - £52.71 (+£10.54 VAT)
DS 1500 form - £17.00 (+£3.40 VAT)
DVLA report - £38.40 (+£9.60 VAT)
Disability living allowance - £33.50 (+£6.70 VAT)
Enduring power of attorney without examination - £76.00 (+£19.00 VAT)

Medical Reports (With Examination)

HGV/LGV/PSV/Pilot - £100.00 (+£20.00 VAT)
Insurance related medicals and extract from medical records - £175.00 (No VAT)
Fitness to parachute/take part in dangerous activity/Sport - £116.00 (+£29.00 VAT)
Enduring power of attorney plus examination at the surgery/home - £105.00 (+£21.00 VAT)
Medical examination Occupational health reasons - £120.00 (+£20.00 VAT)
Medical examination for other reasons - £55 -£180 (+VAT Dependant on charge)
Elderly driver fitness certificate - £50.00 (+£10.00 VAT)
Pre-employment report and examination - £149.83 (+£29.17 VAT)
Army Medical - £65.00 (+£13.00 VAT)
Adoption Medical - £77.92 (No VAT)

Copy Records

Access to records or copy of medical Records - No Charge

Travel and Vaccinations

Fitness to travel (certificate only) - £29.17 (+£5.83 VAT)
Fitness to fly (certificate only) - £29.17 (+£5.83 VAT)
Holiday cancellation (certificate only) - £29.17 (+£5.83 VAT)
Private prescription for Malaria tablets - £15.00 (No VAT)
Freedom from infection certificate - £17.50 (No VAT)
International certificate of vaccination - £17.50 (+£3.50 VAT)

Clinician Time

Private prescription - £17.00 (No VAT)
DNA testing (swabs, hair samples) - £58.33 (+£11.67 VAT)
HIV testing with examination - £65.00 (+£13.00 VAT)
HIV testing without examination - £36.67 (+£7.33 VAT)

Why do GPs sometimes charge fees? Yours questions answered in our FAQ.

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