The National Health Service provides most healthcare to the majority of people free of charge, but there are exceptions. GPs are self-employed and are contracted to provide NHS general medical services for their patients.

Sometimes, GPs are asked to provide additional services which fall outside their contract and in these circumstances, they are entitled to make a reasonable charge for providing them.

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients are:

• accident/sickness insurance certificates
• certain travel vaccinations
• private medical insurance reports
• statements of fact relating to general health
• Letters requested by, or on behalf of, the patient
• Holiday cancellation claim forms
• Referral for private care forms

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

• medical reports for an insurance company
• some reports for the DSS/Benefits Agency
• examinations of occupational health

Please click here to view private services we offer, along with fees. Contact the practice for further details.

Do I need a referral letter?

If you are self-funding private appointments a referral letter is usually not required. All our patients have the ability to access their medical records online via the NHS app or Patient Access. You can provide your private consultant with the medical details they might require from your online access. Alternatively, if you struggle with online access, you can ask for a printout of your records.

Some private health insurers may require a referral letter from your GP. Please speak to your insurer to find out if a referral letter is required.

How long does a private referral letter take

Private referral letters are completed in the same timescales as an NHS referral which is currently 10 working days.

If a private referral letter is required more urgently than the 10 working days a charge will be applied. Charges are between £25 and £50 dependant on the speed at which you want the referral letter to be produced. You may be able to recover this cost from your insurer.

Why am I being charged for a private referral letter when I am saving the NHS money in going private?

Where a private referral request is treated in the same timescales as an NHS referral we do not charge a fee i.e. 10 working days. Where a patient requires the letter quicker than this timescale, we apply a charge for providing the letter more quickly than would be available if it was an NHS referral.  This is because the request is requiring additional GP time to provide it without detriment to the existing NHS referral workload. Please note we may not always be able to provide a private letter in the timescale that you require where we have pressures on staffing capacity.

Why won’t you refund me if I don’t need a private letter anymore?

We require payment in advance of any private work commencing. Clinicians and medical admin have to take time away from NHS work to complete private work. If you change your mind after the work has been completed, we still have to fund the time that was taken to do it. Therefore, we will not refund any monies where the work has already been commenced.

After a private appointment

My private specialist wants me to have investigations/monitoring. Can my GP arrange these tests via the NHS, or do I have to pay for them?

In the majority of cases, you will need to pay for these through your private specialist. Your GP can only arrange tests if they would normally be ordered by your GP for an equivalent NHS patient. This is because any tests outside of the normal NHS protocols:

• May not be available to your GP i.e. They require a specialist’s referral
• Are outside your GP’s expertise, this is unsafe.
• Require repeated communication with your consultant. Compared to making a single referral through the NHS this is not an efficient or appropriate use of GP time.
• Where your private specialist has requested blood tests, e.g. for testosterone related to menopause, we will be unable to provide these tests. Your specialist will need to arrange and interpret the tests and plan further treatment as required.

Please do not contact the Practice to discuss the results of tests organised by private specialists. It is the Consultant’s responsibility to discuss this with you, and the Practice may not have access to the results or be in a position to interpret them. 

The private specialist has suggested I start medication, can I have this as an NHS prescription?

 Your NHS GP does not have to take over the prescribing of any medication started privately. However, we will generally take over prescribing medication if we would for an equivalent NHS patient. Prior to this, a full clinic letter from the consultant is required, outlining the reasons for treatment, explaining the precise details of the prescription; what it is being used to treat; how long the treatment is intended for; and what monitoring or follow up is required before the Practice can decide whether we can continue to prescribe.

All drugs are categorised by an NHS traffic light system.

This is as follows:

• Over the counter – Must be purchased by the patient at a pharmacy
• Green – Can be prescribed without supervision by your GP
• Amber – Can only be prescribed by your GP with supervision by a specialist (a ‘shared care agreement’). Normally the specialist must start and stabilise the medication.
• Red – Specialist only
• Black – Cannot be prescribed by any NHS doctor

Therefore, we can and will convert private prescriptions to an NHS prescription if the drug is green but not otherwise.

 In the case of amber drugs, a “shared care agreement” is required between the private consultant and your GP. As this would generally fall outside of our GP’s “area of experience” we will NOT enter “shared care agreements”  with private specialists as this would be unsafe.

 Should your private specialist suggest drugs to be initiated, e.g. for ADHD, post bariatric surgery and other conditions, these would need to be provided by your specialist with a private prescription. Your specialist will be responsible for continuing issues of medication, any further blood tests and any required follow up.

What happens if I want to transfer my care back to the NHS?

If after seeing the specialist privately you want to be back under NHS care, national regulations allow for you to transfer back. This transfer needs to be done by the private specialist who is overseeing your care.

What if I need a Fit Note (previously known as Sick Note)?

Fit notes can and should be issued by doctors working in the private sector.

• the Consultant is responsible for issuing you with a Fit Note.
• the Fit Note should cover the period they expect you to be unfit to work, or until your next contact with the Consultant. You should not need to see or contact your GP to get a Fit Note following private hospital treatment unless your inability to work is unexpectedly prolonged.