AIBU, school letter

[Giddypants]

AIBU to not pay a £50 (which I can't afford) GP letter that says my child has food allergies?
DS2 started reception on Tuesday, school have said they can't give any lunch except a baked potato until I have filled in the school dinners form which asks about food intolerances, allergies, or sensitivity.
On the front of the letter it asks for proof of allergies from his GP.
I have rang the GP for a letter, which he informed me he would have to charge me £50 for said letter.
DS has a nut especially peanut allergy and has a small reaction to tuna.
The school has a no nut policy anyway.
He doesn't like tuna and won't entertain it, so there is quite minimal risk that he would come into contact with any allergens.
I understand why the school need to be informed, but why isn't my word good enough? after all I've told the GP what he is allergic too and they have in record from what I have told them.

"You need to get the School Nurse to liaise with the school on this. The school secretary will have her phone number. I would also get in touch with the Allergy Nurse from your clinical team at the hospital as she can offer advice and support to the school."

Sorry but I think this is ludicrous advice. You are asking the OP to contact several professions, who are all very overstretched, in order to by pass a £50 charge from the GP. And it still wouldn't solve the school needing a GP's letter!

I think you should get referred to allergy clinic anyway, and get tested properly. Some allergies are acquired. My ds developed severe cat allergy after starting school, since he was exposed to people who got cat at home. Also he developed quite severe dust allergy after starting school, and had bad reaction to very old school books.
Once you get a referral, you can ask them to test all the possibility, mine had got tested 120+ allergen from single blood test.

you stated that YOU informed the doctor of the allergies? I don't understand, surely you mean the doctor tested him and told you the results??
am I correct in saying that other than your assumption he has these allergies you have no means of proving it?
I'm confused

my child has allergies and when I took her to the allergist they sent me a copy of the letter they sent to the doctors that tell me what she is allergic to and what medication she can have. did yours not do this ? you might want to go over someones head at the school as usually you just put allergies on the form that you put all your emergency contact numbers on.

Side note but it's incorrect for PPs to say you can get medical records for £10 using a data subject access request.

By law, GPs are allowed to charge up to £50 for the records. However the online record is free.

I'd do that ASAP and go with packed lunches until it's sorted. Baked potatoes every day would be so dull and hardly nutritious either!

YES! Ffs, just pay the money, this is your child's life you are talking about!

As the patient is the child, the doctor should not be charging anything, you need to strenuously take that up with the surgery manager but if push comes to shove, PAY IT

I'm a dinner lady. There are approximately 14 severe allergens that we need to know about, and that's before we take into account cooking rules for vegans, vegetarians, muslims and Jewish pupils.

Plus, just because a school kitchen is "nut free" doesn't mean the whole school is.

And there's no such thing as completely nut free because a lot of other food stuffs are produced in factories which also handle nuts.

So if your child has any allergy, US DINNERLADIES NEED TO KNOW!

Just wondered, can GP give you a formal letter stating he has allergies without test results? You said gp didn't test him because your statement was enough...
If GP has written "XX's mum says he has peanut allergy ...", it doesn't worth paying 50 pounds for it!

Just wondered, can GP give you a formal letter stating he has allergies without test results?

Wasn't the whole point of the thread that the OP didn't want to pay £50?

dd did not have any tests done for one of her allergies, they took a history and said it was obvious that she was allergic to egg. we did get a letter from the hospital though.

many years later she had a reaction to nuts as well, and we called the ambulance out as she was complaining of breathing difficulties. thankfully the antihistamine kicked in before it got worse hospital were surprised that she did not have allergy testing done already. now we are doing allergy testing but they are only testing for a few things not a whole range of things so there may still be some unknown allergens lurking out there. she does have an epipen now though.

Black, when my ds had allergy test, they were able to test 120+ allergens from single blood test. It was done in allergy clinic in London Hospital.

You can request a full copy of their medical records under the access to medical reports act for a much more reasonable fee.

Why do you need an appointment to see the GP can't you speak to the secretary. That's what I did to get a letter from them.

I would also ring the school and tell the headteacher you have spoken to the GP and that there is a charge for the letter. One they should reimburse you for.

When you get the letter keep a copy or the original. You don't know when/if you will need it in the future.

Advise the school of the little boy who died recently because he ate fish that he was allergic to.

A jacket potato every day for lunch? That's ridiculous.

Is still get an epipen. What if your on a airplane or somewhere miles from a chemist.

My dd is allergic to nuts. Gets an itchy throats and I'm very aware it could change and get worse.

One they should reimburse you for.

Why should the school reimburse her? It's her child that has the need.

Where do you think schools get money for things like this anyway? Do you think there is some money box in the back room that teachers can dip into when they want?

FFS, I'm so sick of this shit. Get the bloody letter, work with the school to make sure your child is safe. Stop whining about a perfectly reasonable request from the school. Newsflash - children aren't free. You have to put your hand in your pocket sometimes.

Look, it's easy saying it but try not to get stressed. Starting him on packed lunches is not the end of the world. He'll be no worse off than he is now. Then when you have the paper work in order you can let him have school lunches.

Wow Midnight I think you need more sleep.

Why should she be out of pocket for something the school requires when they could simply take her word for it and action her request.

Because if school took a parents word for every time that little Johnny doesn't like mushrooms, it would be complete chaos trying to cook lunches that accommodate everyone's preferences. OP herself has already said that his 'allergy' is not formally diagnosed, just that he has had a reaction in the past. If it were a serious matter, she should be looking at a proper diagnosis and management plan in place to protect her son.

Schools also need to know what to look out for, what to do if a reaction happens, and what steps need to be taken to keep the child safe (there's a big difference between an airborne allergy and a contact allergy).

You say that the "surgery has a record of what you told them" about your son's allergies. This doesn't sound to me as though he has been properly tested for allergies by a paediatric dietitian and the results recorded on his medical notes. Which in turn suggests that you are telling the school that your son has allergies which are simply in fact dislikes you are trying to impose on the school without a medical reason. The £50 charge is probably imposed as a deterrent against people trying to pass off food fads as allergies.

This is a GP issue and I agree with you OP. This isn't a letter for an insurance claim. It's a record of allergies that the LEA requires from the LHB.
DS1 has anaphylaxis (Brazil nut and sesame). When he went to secondary they wanted his treatment plan. Because it was several years old they wanted something from GP. GP held me to ransom wanting £30. I was outraged. They'd been asked to confirm a life threatening condition and life saving treatment. School nurse in a comprehensive with 2000+ pupils said she'd never come across it before but I now understand it has become widespread.
Nothing you can do. They have you by the balls. However the PP who said you shouldn't have to pay more than £10 may have a point. If you request your own data that is all they can charge under the Data Protection Act.

NHS skint. Waiting lists to infinity.... We all want everything for nothing. And before anyone bleats out 'I pay my taxes/NI' how far do you think that goes for your individual healthcare needs?

Pay for the letter if this is a genuine diagnosed allergy, play your part to protect your son.

So the facts from OP are:
child has hives reaction from suspected allergy
child has not yet had any allergy testing so allergy unconfirmed clinically, but now planning to ask for referral
OP wants letter from GP who will charge £50

When I first read this I thought, great, ask GP surgery to give you a summary screen print out - cost 50p per side of paper used. However, without a diagnosis the GP will have to write a very non specific letter about what OP says has happened.

GPs are not under NHS contract for this work. It is private fees work. The GP will have to spend time looking into the child's record to determine the full medical history and what they can/cannot write. This is not a 5 minute job. They will then dictate a letter. The medical secretary will then need to type it. It will then be invoiced for payment and the payment processed by an administrator. This is why it is £50.

Advice : make GP apptmt to discuss potential allergy and ask for a referral for allergy testing. This may take 3 months but you will then get your answer and also correct treatment - and the medical record will be correct. No doubt you'll be asked for this again in the future so best get sorted.

While you are waiting for the apptmt, send your child with pack lunches - it's not long

Your child may not have an allergy - and let's hope they don't. They may simply be sensitive. My DD had welts/urticaria all over her body and ambulanced to hospital after eating certain foods. We had allergy testing and she is NOT allergic - just sensitive and will grow out of it.

I run a GP practice btw and the pressure GP services is ridiculous. Demand has increased and funding from the government has been cut. So please be patient with your surgery - they are all doing their best!

Any way you could do packed lunches?
you knowing what he eats daily and if he is actually eating enough is peace of mind because you get to know he is safe and see what he brings home in his lunch box.
Packed lunches are much more healthy - my opinion

School asked me for confirmation from my GP about my child's dietary needs. So I wrote and printed it at home, went to see my GP and she was happy to sign it - she was pleased I'd written it ready for her. She was a lovely GP, but I can't see why any sensible GP wouldn't be happy to sign a statement confirming information that is in the child's medical notes.

I'm a GP. the money that we charge for these letters is part of what keeps surgeries running. They are not an NHS service and when we didn't charge we got tens of requests every single day. They take time away from seeing patients. A fee of £50 is on the steep side and I'd imagine it is designed to deter requests by a surgery that is struggling for clinician time.

crickedneckouch so you took up an appointment that was, no doubt, sorely needed by someone who was actually ill. Or you took up some time between appointments which is soent doing visits and necessary paperwork. Not criticising you, but can't you see that your actions took up GP time and were therefore not free to the NHS?