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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Since when did you have to pay to see NHS GP?!!

149 replies

SpecialOPs · 09/02/2023 13:08

Dd was a passenger in a car at the weekend which was rear ended at traffic lights.

She was fine at first then got symptoms of whiplash and has very painful shoulder, neck and headache. She works at a PC and it's agony to sit in her chair so has had to take most of this week off.

Rang GP this morning to see if she could get some stronger pain meds and a note saying she should WFH next week rather than travel into London.

Receptionist said she needed to pay £23.50 before a GP would speak to her! DD said that can't be right, receptionist insisted so DD said she wouldn't pay it. I rang back later and it was confirmed,

Apparently this is because they will be the first to see her after an RTA? I said would A&E have refused to treat her until she'd paid then if she'd been rushed there with more serious injuries? She said she didn't know.

AIBU to think this is an outrage!

OP posts:
endofthelinefinally · 09/02/2023 14:52

My dd is still needing physio for whiplash sustained in a rtc 7 years ago. The insurance payout was very useful but is long gone now. She wouldn't get physio on the nhs, but she pays for it because it controls the pain and keeps her moving.

Itdjgsurchg · 09/02/2023 14:57

When I was a receptionist at a walk in centre we had to ask patients to pay to see a GP if they had had a car accident. I didn’t realise all GPS did it.

Thelittleweasel · 09/02/2023 14:58

@SpecialOPs Section 158 of the Road Traffic Act "permits" this.

www.drborseandpartner.nhs.uk/health-information/road-traffic-accident-charges/

arethereanyleftatall · 09/02/2023 14:58

I wonder if the other 36 people in the queue were also wanting the doctor to waste their time writing letters that could be self-certified / dealt with between the employer and employee.

MyFuckRationsAreDepleated · 09/02/2023 15:00

bosworthmedicalcentre.co.uk/_common/getdocument/158567

this explains it quite clearly.

GlorifiedChair · 09/02/2023 15:04

According to www.bma.org.uk/pay-and-contracts/fees/fees-for-doctors-services/fees-for-emergency-treatment-in-a-road-traffic-accident it is the driver who pays the fees.

"The person driving the vehicle is responsible for meeting the doctor's professional fee for themselves, their passengers or anyone injured by their vehicle."

OP's daughter was a passenger.

BungleandGeorge · 09/02/2023 15:06

Yes you’re unreasonable, it’s meant to be paid for by insurance.
go to the pharmacy for painkillers and surely her employer can be approached directly for such a small and short lived accommodation. Or self certify for a week.
people usually want prescription meds and doctors letters so that they can make an insurance claim for personal injury. Which is absolutely fine if she is injured by the fault of another but the evidence should be obtained privately

lieselotte · 09/02/2023 15:08

I had no idea about this rule. It seems odd if you are just a passenger though as you don't have the insurance yourself and is anyone really going to ask their friend/relative to claim the £23 off their insurance and potentially increase their premium by £££.

But I guess GPs are trying to get every £ they can get at the moment.

lieselotte · 09/02/2023 15:08

arethereanyleftatall · 09/02/2023 14:58

I wonder if the other 36 people in the queue were also wanting the doctor to waste their time writing letters that could be self-certified / dealt with between the employer and employee.

Some of them were probably wanting similar letters for their children's schools....

lieselotte · 09/02/2023 15:11

I’m shocked that your daughter wants the week off work and stronger painkillers but refuses to pay £26 to see a GP. There are forms to fill in when there’s a traffic accident. There’s insurance schemes. I’m just shocked at the entitlement and this expectation that you don’t pay anything

Well maybe, but there may be no need to claim on the insurance otherwise. You can rear ended and only need superficial work which you might arrange to do privately to avoid the hassle of an insurance claim.

It's interesting that this only extends to road traffic incidents - or are there are similar rules for other contexts where insurance might pay out, eg for a work accident?

LittleOwl153 · 09/02/2023 15:21

Its faily common practice and has been for years. The expectation is that she claims the cost back through the insurance of the car she was in. Tbh if she's in this amount of pain then she should be making an injury claim through the driver of the car anyway- she can claim.prescription costs, time off work, she might need further treatment physio etc which can be much easier/quicker to obtain if she is able to pay and reclaim.

Quveas · 09/02/2023 15:28

SpecialOPs · 09/02/2023 13:31

IT IS NOT FOR THE FIT NOTE!

Did shouting at people trying to help you by giving you the correct advice make you feel better?

ZeroFuchsGiven · 09/02/2023 15:31

You sound like an absolute PITA, especially if you spoke to the surgery receptionist like that. Did you actually ask in a calm manner for an explanation? You are much more likely to get one if you did.

GloomyDarkness · 09/02/2023 15:42

TheHouseElf · 09/02/2023 14:20

OP - maybe call again, asked to speak to the Practice Manager for clarity what the charge is actually for.

This or better yet e-mail or write.

I don't remember DH being charged by NHS after road accident.

I do police sent a letter demanding money for removing and destroying his motorbike "abandoned" - he was carted away in back of an ambulance- which had a very nasty tone it was over £1000 he was still in hospital waiting surgery and felt like a real kick in the teeth at the time. The other driver was at fault but they did nothing it was all left to insurance people who just said send letter to them and they'd deal with it.

EpicChaos · 09/02/2023 15:43

There is a law, something like the 1927 transport act, or some such title, that requires payment following RTA's. It's usually just handled by insurance companies, you send the letter to them, iirc.

SirGawain · 09/02/2023 15:48

StopGo · 09/02/2023 13:20

Emergency treatment under the Road Traffic Act

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, the first doctor to provide emergency treatment to the victim of a road traffic accident is generally entitled to charge a fee of £21.30 in respect of each person treated (Section 158(2).

Since 1999 the ability to levy a fee under S158 of the Road Traffic Act, has been limited to claims by doctors not working in NHS hospitals, as the cost of hospital treatment is recovered from insurers directly by the NHS.

The fee can be levied even if the person driving the vehicle at the time of the accident is on the GP’s NHS list.

This has been the case for many years. a friend of mine was taken to hospital after an Road Traffic Accident 55 years ago and was invoiced for 12 shillings and 6 pence under the Road Traffic Act.

TheSmallAssassin · 09/02/2023 15:48

Quveas · 09/02/2023 15:28

Did shouting at people trying to help you by giving you the correct advice make you feel better?

Show quote history

It's not the right advice though, is it? Plenty of people have pointed out that it's because it's after a road traffic accident, it is nothing to do with an insurance letter or fit note. You'll get charged whether they need to write a note or not.

jtaeapa · 09/02/2023 15:48

My db was a passenger injured in an RTA. The driver got a bill for it. The driver was at fault though and my db was seriously injured.
It's surely to do with the fact it was an RTA in your dd's case?

RuthW · 09/02/2023 15:50

The payment is for the private note.

NotAnotherBathBomb · 09/02/2023 15:52

RuthW · 09/02/2023 15:50

The payment is for the private note.

OP has already screamed that it's not for the note. Before pulling a disappearing act.

TibetanTerrah · 09/02/2023 15:58

SpecialOPs · 09/02/2023 13:34

She is not claiming anything on insurance?

She should. She's having to take time off work for whiplash and is now incurring other costs i.e. her GP appt!

BellaJuno · 09/02/2023 16:00

This thread is a great example of lack of simple comprehension skills in many adults 🤣 I’m not surprised the OP made use of the caps lock!

Xol · 09/02/2023 16:03

Your daughter is fully entitled to claim on the insurance of the driver of the car that hit the car she was travelling in, both for damages for pain and inconvenience, and also for out of pocket expenses such as loss of earnings, travel to medical appointments, and fees like this. If she doesn't want to make that claim, then she will need to suck up the fee herself.

Xol · 09/02/2023 16:03

Presumably your daughter will also incur prescription charges which she will want to recover?

Dogsarebetterthanhumans · 09/02/2023 16:18

Xol · 09/02/2023 16:03

Your daughter is fully entitled to claim on the insurance of the driver of the car that hit the car she was travelling in, both for damages for pain and inconvenience, and also for out of pocket expenses such as loss of earnings, travel to medical appointments, and fees like this. If she doesn't want to make that claim, then she will need to suck up the fee herself.

I work in Insurance. I started my career in motor, home and liability insurance. This is correct. This is of course assuming the other driver is found to be at fault, (some circs apply where you can go into the back of someone and be in the clear, for instance in what we call a ‘slam on’ (of the breaks)) the above is correct. X

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