AIBU to think £32 for a doctor's letter is extortionate!

[Pebble21uk]

My partner's 40th birthday yesterday and we were due to go away for the weekend. We've had to cancel as she has cellulitus. Phoned the doctors this morning to get a letter for our travel insurance company confirming this and was told the cost will be £32. Is it me or is that extortionate? I'm sure when I've needed letters in the past it's been no more than £20... are doctors now going in line with the cost of lawyer's letters! Who gets the money anyway - the doctor or the surgery?

BigChoc reports for benefits applications are within NHS work but people do sometimes request extra letters that aren’t strictly necessary as they think it will help their case.

Screaming

A fit note/sick line and a letter to an insurance company are different things, albeit potentially based on the same diagnosis. And that is because of the GP contract. The NHS pays GP practices to provide certain services (the "core services")- the GP practice receives a set amount per patient per year (whether a patient never sees their GP, sees them once per year or even every week, the amount is the same per patient). GPs can also charge the NHS for certain additional services, should they be able to/choose to provide them (e.g. minor surgery)- this money is over and above the money they receive for provision of core services.

Providing fit notes for patients unfit to work come under "core services" and so the GP provides this to the patient for free. Letters for insurance companies and the like are not part of the "core services" and the GP cannot charge the NHS for them as an additional service. Therefore, the patient has to pay for it as a private service. The money goes to the practice, not the individual Dr.

If the report is for the DWP as part of PIP or ESA assessment, the DWP should write to the GP directly asking for a report for which they (DWP) should pay. Sometimes welfare rights/CAB ask for letters of support but this falls outside the remit of NHS primary care service provision and so will have to be paid for. It's related to the funding structure. These letters, and reports even more so, can be time-consuming. You are paying for the GP's time and expertise, and also for admin costs.

What jacks11 said

We paid £20 for a letter that was 2 lines, dictated during the appointment.
Had no choice as DS needed it to defer his exams at Uni due to illness.

@jacks11 Thank you for your clear and detailed explanation. That makes perfect sense. I hadn't realised how complex the funding model was.

@Screaming

No problem- I think people sometimes think the GP just fancies pocketing a bit extra at the patients expense when it's not the case.

Well said Jacks11

Our old GP charged £90 for a letter to confirm my mum had no health issues. My new GP charged £10, not sure why there's such variation across practices but just one of those things you just have to pay I guess.

www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/fees/why-gps-charge-fees

We charge £20 for a 'standard' letter but the vast majority are purely a tick box exercise so I keep them short and sweet. Our housing dept has told us they essentially just shred them on sight anyway because everyone has them so they're no advantage.
A lot of them could be avoided with some common sense - school requesting note that child might be tired in class because disabled sibling makes noises at night. Why on earth can't they take mum's word for it?! Ive never stayed overnight in their house so I'm relying on the Mum's word entirely - just like they could!