Non-NHS Work

There are pieces of work which do not come under the NHS. This might include insurance reports, private letters, provision of certain services such as occupational assessments.
As this is not funded by the NHS and must be done in our own time, the work usually carries a charge.

How much does it cost?

  • We have a list of fees which we can provide at the point of a request for non-NHS work.
  • We review the fees regularly.
  • All fees must be paid in advance by bank transfer.

Why does it cost so much?

  • Forms can sometimes seem short and look to be quick to fill in.
  • We must cover the costs of:
    • The GP time to complete them.
    • The legal indemnity cost to do private work.
    • The administrative time to complete work.
    • Banking charges and accountancy charges to manage non-NHS work.
    • Training costs to carry out private work.
    • IT systems required to create reports.

How quick can it be done?

  • We generally advise a 4 week turn around time although often it is quicker than this.
  • We must prioritise our NHS patients work before private work and this is often done in the evenings and at weekends.
  • We are not able to provide an urgent service.

Why won’t my GP do a private piece of work?

  • GPs must be confident in the work being requested as we are then medicolegally responsible for anything we produce.
  • We are not trained in certain specialist things and we are also not able to offer reports on ‘fitness to participate in something’.
  • Examples might include:
    • Parachute jump forms
    • Flying licences
    • Scuba diving reports
    • Fitness to participate in an event (marathons, cycle rides, charity events etc)