Completion of forms and certificates by a doctor.
When you are registered with a doctor under the NHS most of your routine care is provided free of charge. This also covers things like providing standard sick or fit notes and completion of some forms, such as for claiming benefits.
Many other types of medical forms and certificates are for other purposes such as insurance claims, or for employers. Completion of these is not part of a doctor’s work under the NHS and we therefore make a charge for doing them. Below we have tried to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked about forms and certificates issued for private purposes.
Why do I have to pay for a form or certificate to be completed?
Because the work involved is not covered under the NHS and is usually for private purposes. It is always worth checking with the person or organisation that has asked you to get the form completed to see whether they will pay the relevant fee.
Why do the fees seem so expensive?
Because you have been asked to obtain details from the doctor as a professional person, the fees are comparable with those charged by other professionals such as lawyers or accountants. They also take into account administrative time and overheads.
If it is only a short form why might it take so long to get completed?
Any form or certificate which you ask your doctor to complete is only one of many which they get each week. Doctors have to spend two or three hours a week doing this sort of work outside normal working hours. This is to make sure that it does not affect the care offered to patients requiring medical attention. However, if there is a deadline for the form to be completed then please let us know and we will try to meet this.
But what if I am on a low income?
Under certain circumstances we may be willing to accept a reduced payment. Please let us know when you bring the form or certificate in for completion.
How much will I have to pay?
Reception will have a list of some of the common types of form and certificate or click on the link below. If you are uncertain which charge applies then please ask.