GP charging for blue badge letter - disabled child

It's one of the problems with the NHS structure. People expect everything free all of the time & get cross & entitled when asked to contribute anything.

It's a standard charge for non NHS services & when you think about it why should the NHS be paying for letters to outside services.

I needed a similar letter appx 2 years ago & it was £15. My GP waived the charge due to our specific circumstances but surely for something like a blue badge letter you would expect to pay.

The reality of most disability is the extra costs far outweigh the benefits you can receive.

OP I appreciate you may be in dire circumstances financially - would the surgery accept payment by installments - perhaps £5 a week? Or are there hardship loans etc you could access.

So any uni courses and apprenticeships mean that the qualified person should give their time for free?

It's a civil matter, not a medical one.

That's why there's a charge.

Local councils control parking in their areas. And how many disabled parking spaces. And grant blue badges.

That's why it's nothing to do with the NHS and nothing to do with the GP and why they charge for it.

I see - it goes in one direction only.

Surely you know that the state (taxpayers) pay 600K per qualification (training) per one GP?

Any evidence for this?

The G.P will more than likely charge. I’m
interested in why your LA needs a letter though, the PIP award and an explanation from you should be enough. It’s overkill.

I work for an LA (fraud).

Yes. I'm surprised how it's still only £40. I needed a gp letter 25 years ago so I could work on the NHS and it was £40 then.

We subsidize medical training to make medical care available to all and to keep the pipeline full of new physicians. It’s a public good. Not a reason to expect GPs to give up their time at no charge for certain cohorts.

Well, I don't understand the stretch from DLA not covering the cost of bringing up a disabled child to this weird stretch to someone waiting for a knee replacement. It's not a race to the bottom, you know? I know a wide section of MN likes to stick the boot into parents of children with SN. hope you feel better now.

Getting a blue badge for Sen is incredibly difficult because technically they can walk the prerequisite number of steps. Having a battle here despite the fact dsd needs the door fully opened to manoeuvre in and someone needs to do up her belt. Severe epilepsy (several a day) means access to the car is essential - still said no!

I don’t feel morally superior. I disagree with you and have expressed that politely, unlike you.

I agree it’s not a solution, but you are obviously angry and unhappy, and unable to change any of the fundamental factual circumstances. Where that is the case, and it seems there’s nothing else to try - isn’t it worth trying anything to feel better, including changing your mindset? I wouldn’t have said this if I didn’t know from grim experience that it can help a little.

Blame the DWP for insisting on pointless letters that they often ignore, rather than using a print out of the patient summary (and a GP can take a minute or two to print out the more pertinent stuff)... rather than the GP for charging for their time, or the NHS for not covering what should not be bloody necessary.

Thank your GP's for actually offering this private service in the first place because a great many will not do letters, regardless of whether you're happy to pay for them or not! (Mine do not, my previous ones do not the other practice in my town also does not. Blanket policy!)

Yes this is normal. It's a reasonable thing to ask for and a reasonable thing for the gp to do but there is no government funding for GPs to do this kind of work, and someone has to pay.

To be honest, I think calling you entitled is a little rude, but at least from your earlier posts, can be defended as being accurate. In reality you may not be, but that is also how your posts read to me. To say so achieved nothing so I didn’t - because it’s rude. But it’s not, in my view, nasty.

In relation to the latter I don’t believe - if you read the post in question again - I don’t believe anyone did say that you thought you should be in profit. Maybe read again and see if on greater reflection you still think that’s what being said?

It seems - and I take no convincing - that you are under a lot of stress and this has made your cup run over. Fair enough, but I don’t think that means anyone pointing out truths of the situation you appear to have overlooked is nasty.

I hope your son gets the help he needs and that you can get to a less stressful place. Maybe a change in mindset could help with that?

I don't think that's true at all.

I think a lot of people were annoyed by OPs lack of empathy to GPs, even when it was explained why the charges happen she didn't care other than to say okay, I get I have to pay it. Not, oh I see it isn't part of their work so it makes sense.

Instead, OP decided she was being penalised as the parent of a disabled DC even though she clearly wasn't.

And also was really disparaging about other people who need forms filled in that create a fee. Having a holiday request was 'frivolous' when many people needing a fee-paid GP letter are also disabled and need GP letters so they can travel with their medication or for insurance purposes.

Sometimes you do have to pay for such services
it’s still work for the GP and why should it be free

There's 2 answers really- no people shouldn't be charged for stuff like this; but also GPs aren't paid as part of the core contract so would be doing them for free if they didn't charge. Might not seem a big deal for 1 or 2, but you'd be surprised at how many letters and documents need reviewing and signing and how long each one can take- it adds up and it's tricky to draw a line as plenty of people should ideally not be charged if all was fair.

My GP proposed charging my disabled young person £95 for a 3 line letter.
We managed without it. (this GP is an utter shite in many other ways too).
My local authority also charges for Blue Badges (£40)
then you get abuse for using them if you don't 'look disabled enough'.
Good luck OP x

GPs always charge for letters in my experience, I was charged for one for my son when he was a child.

I said TOWARDS not covering. Many people have extra needs that they cover themselves. For example if the child in question is not deemed eligible for NHS treatment for whatever so parents pay privately ( using money given to them) in what way is it higher priority to someone who has a buggered up knee for example but can't get it treated on NHS so would have to pay privately but gets given not a penny towards it?

My knickers aren't in a twist.

The point is, after dozens of people on this thread have pointed out that GPs don't get paid for this work, your position is that your GP is somehow better and morally superior to others who actually charge for the work they do.

And your GP could have numerous reasons for doing so. In the same way that a mechanic might not charge for some things and not others, when they should be charging for all.

They have individual lives, some with more responsibilities than others. Some with more anxieties than others. Some just can't be arsed with the questions, complaints and abuse they'll get so just do things because it's easier even if it makes their lives harder.

And having had experience in this area, your POV is exactly what many people use when GPs want to be paid for THEIR WORK. Oh, well this persons GP wouldn't charge for it so this GP seems bad in not making the choice not to do so.

And is in turn used to abuse the replacement GP when yours moves on or retires. Dr John Smith would NEVER charge for this, this surgery has gone to the dogs and new Dr Jones clearly doesn't care..