To want NHS funding spent only on NHS services???

[Tistheseason17]

I'm after your help fellow mumsnettters!

Please bare with me - it was the NHS's 70th Birthday this week and they and us are getting ripped off.

I am furious that a recent change in data law now means that GP practices cannot get payment for providing copies of patient records to insurance companies, solicitors or other 3rd parties preparing medical reports.

So simply put, if you have a car accident or trip at work, the NHS has to spend a tonne of cash providing paperwork to all of these places for FREE whilst money is being made by them, and the patient off the back of it!!!

People think it is just a case of someone sitting at a photocopier or scanning for 5 mins - but that is not how it works. A GP has to also check the record before it is copied to remove anything sensitive that could cause harm/distress to a patient.

There is a fab petition on change.org an NHS colleague has set up. It shows how nationally more than £115M of NHS funding is spent on claims rather than NHS care.

This will mean that your GP practice may not be able to recruit someone as it cannot afford to - it's too busy using NHS money paying insurance companies, medical report companies and solicitors.

This is not right. Can't believe no one thought about this impact before GDPR came in!!!

Please will you sign???

www.change.org/p/matthew-hancock-stop-misuse-of-nhs-funds-for-private-claims-work?recruiter=69615357&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook_link&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page

Problem is that the patient might not have £60 so he can claim the £5k or whatever so they might simply not be able to out a claim in.

Maybe deduct the fee from the compensation itself?

Why are people deliberately misunderstanding this? The OP isn't saying access to records is a bad thing, just that it's costly for the NHS (i.e. me and you and anyone who pays or paid tax), and the profit makers are the solicitors and the patient who don't have to pay a fee anymore. It's a sad situation for the patient to have to try and get compensation and the lawyers need to make some money as well. I don't think this is in dispute.

@CheshireChat

Before the 25th May 2018, the solicitors paid the £50 max charge to a GP practice and deducted from payout.

Since the 25th May the cost falls to the NHS to pay.

This is not the patient's fault - the 3rd parties are abusing the loophole.

@LadyWithLapdog

Thanks, was starting to feel like I'm going nuts!

Tistheseason - I think it just shows the general public doesn't understand how this works and how desperately tight finances are for GP surgeries. I hope no one complains when their referral, letter, note, whatever, takes that extra bit longer to get sorted because admin staff are busy photocopying for solicitors requests.

@LadyWithLapdog

That is definitely a HUGE impact
And now, as well as not getting paid, the law has reduced the timescale from 40 days to 1 month - way more pressure on private work like this instead of NHS referrals.

There is so much entitled behaviour, that only when the NHS has fallen over will people wish they had done more to save it.

The NHS will be a victim of apathy, sadly. Thanks for your kind support.

Tistheseason17 Thanks for the clarification, that sounds better. Not really sure why they've changed it in this case, perhaps a complete overhaul is in order.

This reminds me that our GP has stopped signing passports which seriously messed us over as our son was only little at the time.

Hi CheshireChat. AFAIK GPs are no longer listed as persons you can ask to sign for passports. It's not NHS work and it was usually charged for by GPs, or could be charged for. For one of my DCs I asked a friend who is a teacher (at a different school). No charge and a quick turnaround too.

That's correct Lady

Right to buy isnt 'tagged' onto houses. It is offered to long term council tenants. It is linked to people and tenancy not houses. You dont move in an executive house and get the chance to buy it half price. You get offered, after some years, a discount. You can transfer the right to buy to another property if you move. You dont move into a house which has right to buy, that is false.

LadyWithLapdog I actually think they should scrap the whole thing.

As a clarification, DS was too young for nursery, none of our friends were eligible to countersign for us and he'd only seen the dentist once so not an option.

It's only because of DP's old friends is a veteran we managed to get it sorted.

Daft, daft system.

I wouldn't have minded to pay for the service by the way, that's absolutely fair especially for a non essential service.