Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be slightly annoyed re gp letter?

73 replies

rogersmellyonthetelly · 07/12/2012 12:55

Am flying to Disney paris on sunday, 30 weeks pregnant. Rang gp to arrange checkup so he could do letter to state I'm fit to fly, as per airline rules.
He doesn't need to see me apparently, as he can see everything he needs to know from my notes. I haven't seen a gp since 21 weeks for a chest infection.
I picked up said letter this morning, paid £20 for the priviledge. Opened it up and said, in 3 lines, that I'm having an uncomplicated pregnancy and he therefore considers me fit to fly. Thing is, I'm under consultant care because i have several high risk factors, borderline high bp at my last check last week, and they haven't seen my hand held notes which are very detailed!
Aibu to feel a) slightly ripped off that I have paid £20 for 3 line standard letter which will have taken approximately 2 minutes to amend to show my name, and probably about 5 minutes to check the limited amount of notes about my pregnancy that he actually has available to him?
B) slightly concerned that I'm getting on a plane without any idea of whether I'm actually fit to fly or not?

OP posts:
SamSmalaidh · 07/12/2012 13:44

If you wanted a medical opinion, then surely your consultant or midwife is the person to ask? I didn't see my GP at all when I pregnant and she didn't see my notes, so how would she have known?

If you just wanted a standard letter clearing you to fly, then that's what you got from the GP.

Sounds like maybe you wanted one thing (a medical check by someone who knows about your pregnancy) but asked for another (a standard GP letter).

Original poster
rogersmellyonthetelly · 07/12/2012 13:47

Sorry if I'm not being clear :0/
I thought the whole point of the letter for the airline confirming that I am fit to fly was that someone medically competent had either examined me (they haven't recently) or at least seen my full notes (which are in my handbag) rather than just the info on the gp screen which only has my gp consultations on there, and nothing from the midwife or consultant, that's all in my hand held notes.
I'm annoyed because I feel as if I've paid out £20 to have someone give an professional opinion, which I don't feel they have had, as they only have half the info.

OP posts:
OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 07/12/2012 13:47

£20 is not enough to cover the cost of a full 'fit to fly' examination. The NHS isn't there to pay for you to have a checkup so you can fly off on holiday.

If you want all of that, you need to pay the going rate privately.

You requested a fit to fly letter, you agreed to pay the price of that, you got it. If you want more then you have to pay for it.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 07/12/2012 13:50

Seriously, £20 is nothing for a proper medical opinion. Have you ever used private healthcare?

In my experience, private consultations cost a lot more than £20. The NHS is doing its job by caring for you and your baby. They are not there to facilitate your holiday.

bradyismyfavouritewiseman · 07/12/2012 13:51

what outraged said.

Thats the standard cost for the letter than you asked for. So thats what you pay.

I still can't work out wether you are annoyed at the cost though as you seem unsure if you should be flying.

You got the letter this morning and booked the flight, yet a couple of hours later you are upset the letter is not long enough?

diddl · 07/12/2012 13:54

You´re under consultant care because of risk factors-so why are you considering flying??

Although if you´re under consultant care I don´t know why the GP didn´t say you would have to refer to them?

Fakebook · 07/12/2012 14:01

£20 is normal. I got my ds's passport form countersigned by my doctor last week and it cost me £20.

cornycarrotshack · 07/12/2012 14:06

if you wanted your GP to give you his medical opinion you would have needed to have booked an appointment to see him surely Confused

CwtchesAndCuddles · 07/12/2012 14:28

If you want to be sure you are fit then you need to check with your consultant - that is the person who is the expert.

It sounds as though the gp surgery thought you just wanted the certificate, and issued it according to the information they had. If you know they don't have all the information then the certificate is not worth the paper it is written on and I doubt the insurance would cover any conditions know to you (high BP) etc if you haven't declared them.

sue52 · 07/12/2012 14:35

£20 is fine. You didn't ask for an appointment just the letter. Based on your case notes, the GP provied you with one that said you were ft to fly. If you have further worries see the consultant or book a proper appointment with your own doctor..

FivesGoldNorks · 07/12/2012 14:36

Don't worry op I understand! Presumably you thought you'd be getting an opinion based on your medical notes from which you could make a decision, rather than "pay your 20 quid, here you go, regardless of whether you're fit to fly or not"

FivesGoldNorks · 07/12/2012 14:37

Sue52 are gps really dictated to by money tho. Surely the point of a fit to fly letter is that the gp has done an assessment and decided the person is fit to fly. Not that they've paid and therefore are fit to fly.
Actually don't answer that.

Traceyloveshoney · 07/12/2012 14:43

It sounds like you asked for a fit to fly letter not an appointment to discuss the risks of travel. Also you're under consultant care not GP care therefore you need to discuss this with your consultant team who have access to all the requreired information. You can usually leave a message with your consultant's secretary or with the antenatal clinic for one of the medical team to contact you. Agree with the above that you also need to declare on your insurance and consider whether you are happy to have care abroad if complications happen while you're away.

EmmelineGoulden · 07/12/2012 14:45

Actully I think your GP sounds a bit negligent. From what you've posted I gather your GP knows you are seeing a consultant because of issues with your pregnancy, but has written that you have an uncomplicated pregnancy.

That doesn't sound like a considered professional opinion, which is what I would expect from a Dr. It sounds like someone who is ticking boxes because s/h has done a hundred of them already and thinks it's a pointless exercise.

I do think the £20 charge for a letter is reasonable and that given your situation isn't straightforward you should expect to be paying a bit more than that. But I don't see how you'd know that if your Dr doesn't tell you "Sorry Roger, will need to go through hand held notes/need you to come in for examination so will cost £x" or "Hmm. I think youll have to get that letter from the conultant not me".

HazelnutinCaramel · 07/12/2012 14:47

I see your point OP, I think the problem is you asked for the wrong thing. You should have made an appointment with your GP, midwife or consultant to get an opinion on whether you should fly. By just asking for a letter, they just gave you a standard thing after a cursory glance at your notes.

I don't think either you or they are in the wrong, it's just a misunderstanding of expectations on both sides.

mamij · 07/12/2012 14:56

I understand where you're coming from, but you did just ask for a fit to fly note.

From your post, sounds like you're worried about flying, so I probably wouldn't have booked without seeing your GP or even better, your consultant to discuss.

FivesGoldNorks · 07/12/2012 15:11

If the OP asked for a fit to fly note then the GP should satisfy his or herself that the OP is fit to fly, surely?
Not doing it, or doing a very cursory glance knowing that a huge amount of info is missing is negligent, surely?

FivesGoldNorks · 07/12/2012 15:11

"Traceyloveshoney Fri 07-Dec-12 14:43:56
It sounds like you asked for a fit to fly letter not an appointment to discuss the risks of travel. "

If one of the criteria for issuing this letter isn't "ensure patient is fit to fly" then what is the point of the letter?!

MissCellania · 07/12/2012 15:32

So you are annoyed that they didn't look at risk factors that you didn't tell them about? You're being very silly. You haven't been to see them, so all the information they have is that you are low risk and are fine. YOU should have told them that this wasn't the case, how would they know otherwise?

Original poster
rogersmellyonthetelly · 07/12/2012 15:40

Well I rather thought they should have asked me? Or at least seen me and asked for my notes? I was very surprised when the receptionist said I didn't need an appointment, but assumed that the gp would have at least the consultant information to hand, but I can see now I have the letter that he doesn't. I have since rung the consultants secretary and she has had a word with him and he says it's fine and I should go and enjoy, just take normal precautions like walking around as much as poss on the flight and make sure I get plenty of rest while I'm at Disney, which I was planning to do anyway.

OP posts:
MissCellania · 07/12/2012 15:41

Take some responsibility for yourself.

icclebabyjesusheave · 07/12/2012 15:43

If you're that high risk then why the heck are you flying anywhere?

You wanted a letter that would say you're OK to fly. You have a letter that says you're OK to fly. Would you have preferred it to say you're having a complicated consultant led pregnancy and shouldn't be let anywhere near a plane?

Fairyegg · 07/12/2012 15:45

Has it occurred to you that your gp may have connected your mw? They often work in the same surgery, otherwise email / telephones are very useful.

valiumredhead · 07/12/2012 15:45

It's a standard letter - you won't get travel insurance if he starts listing all your complications!

FivesGoldNorks · 07/12/2012 15:47

Iccle the op presumed there would be a process that her gp would initiate before writing the letter.

If you ask for a survey on your house you want to know its safe to live in. What they actually do is investigate and tell you if its not.

According to a lot of people on this thread I could write fit to fly letters.