Certain services provided by your doctor are not paid for by the NHS and you may be asked to pay a fee.
Examples of such services:
- Examination/reports for employment purposes, adoption, child-minding, sport
- Examination/reports for insurance purposes
- Private services – certificates, consultations, prescriptions, Provident Association documents, non-NHS patients, etc
- Reports relating to fitness to drive
- Travel – certificates of fitness, holiday cancellations forms, immunisation, verification of passport photographs, etc.
Charges for these services are displayed at reception, in waiting areas and on notice boards.
You will appreciate that our core-NHS duties, including looking after patients, must take a higher priority than non-NHS work, and is our core duty. The GPs are under no obligation to complete non-NHS work if time does not allow. Please consider other individuals who may be able to assist you (eg. solicitors, teachers, minister of religion etc). GPs cannot certify passport photographs.
Why do GPs sometimes charge fees?
The following article discusses this in more depth, and may help patients understand what their fees cover.
https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/fees/fee-finder-why-gps-charge-fees
