Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is disgusting - GP charging for form

487 replies

FrostedFancy · 21/12/2023 13:39

GP surgery insist I must pay £40 for completion of a form from school to request online learning for my DD (14) who is suffering from MH issues due to being diagnosed with a serious health condition.

AIBU to think this is absolutely disgusting to profit from a child with medical condition and mental health issues needing access to an education?

Form literally would take 5 minutes to complete.

OP posts:
endofthelinefinally · 21/12/2023 16:41

windywash · 21/12/2023 16:16

I work in camhs and consultants there do not charge to fill in such forms. YANBU

So the school should be asking the consultant to fill in the form. That would be much more appropriate.

littlebopeepp234 · 21/12/2023 16:43

Menora · 21/12/2023 16:41

They will not write what you ask they are legally obliged to write facts. They will need to review the records. The reason this isn’t an appt is because you would just be sitting watching them reading a screen?

This!! Plus with the amount of forms GP’s are asked to fill out every day there would be no appointments for patients who are ill if they were all taken by people who think they should see the GP for it and as it is classed as private work then it should not be done during NHS times ie. On NHS patient appointment slots

Andarna · 21/12/2023 16:44

A 5 min question doesn't mean that it just takes 5 minutes. First you explain what is needed and why, then the GP might have questions and fill in the form. THEN, maybe after you have left, they need to update the notes what they did and why. So your 5 minute question might actually take 15-20 minutes.

Caffeineislife · 21/12/2023 16:47

Totally normal. All forms come with a charge at our GP. This is a school issue and I would be speaking to the SENCO. It's possibly all caught up in attendance and education welfare. They need an official form from the GP as evidence that DC needs online learning and isn't classed as truanting.

They may also insist on a form to stop lots of other people requesting online learning for things other than health reasons. Since COVID there are a few CF who are demanding access to online learning/ catch up packs so they can have cheap term time holidays or so they don't have to get out of bed on a Friday morning.

WashItTomorrow · 21/12/2023 16:49

FrostedFancy · 21/12/2023 16:19

Child is entitled to free education, prescription, medical, dental and optical treatment so this should include all care surrounding that.

I don’t disagree adults should be charged at all but this is for a child.

They don’t charge for referral letters do they? Don’t see how it’s any different really.

It’s very different. Referral letters relate to health matters under the NHS. This doesn’t. GPs aren’t involved in the education of the child. It’s not their job to look after the child in every way. Proving a letter is helping the child and family, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be paid for it. I suppose they could refuse. Many health issues actually have to be paid for by parents. It is they who have the responsibility of the care. If your child’s feet are deformed by too-small shoes, you don’t get new shoes provided by the NHS.

ohdamnitjanet · 21/12/2023 16:52

Couldn’t be arsed to worry about it to be honest, unless I was on a low income / benefits and really couldn’t pay it.

Superfans · 21/12/2023 16:53

GP’s are professionals, they don’t work for free - they do work they are paid to do in their GP contract. If they do work outside this contract they are either doing it in their own time for free or taking time from the work they are paid for to do it. If you wish GP’s to complete work that is currently non funded you can write to your MP and suggest the contract is reviewed to include this work. Alternatively you can raise money for charity to fund these requests for people.

WhereIsBebèsChambre · 21/12/2023 16:55

Who has recommended the home learning? Would they not be best placed to fill the form out?

ClareBlue · 21/12/2023 16:55

You are using really emotive language and it is really disrespectful. It's not disgusting or profiteering from a child's illness. It's charging for health services to enable them to be provided. As stated, completing a form is not a tick box. It has to be completed based on knowledge of the patient and their medical files. That's why there is a form in the first place. To verify medical situations. There's liability and accountability and it's not 5 minutes work to screw money out of you because of your child's illness. If you genuinely can not afford it then look for help. It's out there. But stop blaming and accusing medical professionals of being unscrupulous.

ememem84 · 21/12/2023 16:56

Standard here. It’s not clinical time. But it’s the GP’s time.

margotrose · 21/12/2023 16:57

Imagine if everyone who needed a form filling in for an external reason demanded a free appointment? How do you see that working out?

kalokagathos · 21/12/2023 17:02

It's standard at all surgeries I have been registered at

borntobequiet · 21/12/2023 17:05

ATerrorofLeftovers · 21/12/2023 15:04

It’s one thing for GPs to charge for things that are optional/elective - eg a letter needed to carry meds or insulin needles on a holiday flight.Absolutely right that NHS time isn’t used for that and a reasonable charge is levied. This should reflect the actual time and resources needed to complete it though, and not be seen as an opportunity to rinse patients.

It’s quite another thing to charge for something that is required as treatment for a child’s medical condition, as is the case here. Treating a child’s medical condition is absolutely within the scope of a GP’s work. Prescribing a required set of conditions on school is no different to prescribing medication. It’s shocking that a GP would seek to profit from a child’s medical condition like this. Not least because many GPs will be earning salaries way higher than the patients they are gouging.

Prescribing a required set of conditions on school is no different to prescribing medication.

It’s entirely different.

Not least because many GPs will be earning salaries way higher than the patients they are gouging.

The GP’s salary is irrelevant.

MumblesParty · 21/12/2023 17:12

One of the problems is that in general there are standard charges for forms, regardless of how long they take. So if a GP completes a simple form about a patient they know very well, it can take as little as 10 minutes to do. However, other forms can take 2 hours. That may seem unfair, and you could argue that forms should be charged based on how long they take to complete. But then, inevitably, the people with multiple complex medical problems would end up paying more, as their forms would take longer, which also seems unfair.

The argument that GPs should just do it for free “because it’ll only take a few minutes” is just unrealistic. Most surgeries will have more than 2000 patients per GP. You have to see the bigger picture.

moomoomoo27 · 21/12/2023 17:21

Maybe reframe it in your mind as a donation to the NHS, which you also benefit from in a form being signed. It is the season of giving after all, and if any good establishment needs all the help it can get, it's the NHS.

You could also look at it in terms of money you've saved by being lucky enough to be in a country with an NHS. If you were in the US you'd be 100 grand down just from giving birth, let alone anything after.

3luckystars · 21/12/2023 17:22

LookItsMeAgain · 21/12/2023 14:26

You wouldn't last 5 minutes in Ireland! GP's here charge for repeat prescriptions to be written, for certs to be provided to employers and on and on and on.

We pay approximately €60 per visit to our GP. We pay for prescription medication.

We pay for health insurance.

Oh this is on top of our taxes going towards our supposed 'free' health service (like the NHS but not).

Exactly what I was thinking. €65 a visit and I actually think it’s worth it. My Gp practice is amazing and the staff are excellent.

wronginalltherightways · 21/12/2023 17:24

windywash · 21/12/2023 16:21

But the GP would probably fill the form out in their NHS paid for time 🤔

Show quote history

Probably not, actually. Their NHS paid for time is taken up by patient slots.

littlebopeepp234 · 21/12/2023 17:24

MumblesParty · 21/12/2023 17:12

One of the problems is that in general there are standard charges for forms, regardless of how long they take. So if a GP completes a simple form about a patient they know very well, it can take as little as 10 minutes to do. However, other forms can take 2 hours. That may seem unfair, and you could argue that forms should be charged based on how long they take to complete. But then, inevitably, the people with multiple complex medical problems would end up paying more, as their forms would take longer, which also seems unfair.

The argument that GPs should just do it for free “because it’ll only take a few minutes” is just unrealistic. Most surgeries will have more than 2000 patients per GP. You have to see the bigger picture.

Even for patients who are well known to the GP they still have to go through the medical records to make sure they are giving the most accurate and factual information possible

Maelil01 · 21/12/2023 17:26

Scirocco · 21/12/2023 14:00

Totally standard. Any non-NHS work like this needs to be paid for.

The form may look like it would only take 5 minutes, but it would likely take longer than that. It's an important form relating to the education and health of a child registered with that GP. The GP has a responsibility to ensure it's completed accurately so that a) the people reviewing it have the most accurate information, and b) if something were to go wrong, their decision-making can be justified and defended. To do that, the GP will probably need to take a lot longer than 5 minutes to access and review your child's healthcare records, consider how the information contained within the records relates to the questions on the form, make any necessary enquiries (eg if there's any uncertainty they may want to clarify things with any treating specialist), and complete the form.

All of that is time that isn't being spent on core NHS work. The core NHS work still needs to get done, so the GP will probably need to stay later at work, too.

£40 for a report isn't much, and I would imagine it's a report you want to be as accurate and thorough as possible. It's not profit at the expense of a child. It's payment (at a pretty low rate) for a private service for the benefit of that child. There's a difference.

100%

Usernumber3736372836373 · 21/12/2023 17:28

very common. I was charged £27 for a very brief doctors note regrading my son and his MH a couple years ago! It was being used as an application with school transport help!

Metallicant · 21/12/2023 17:31

This has been standard practice for years,

Zanatdy · 21/12/2023 17:36

I had to pay £50 to exclude DD from PE for health reasons and had to return the letter with my suggested amendments as it made no sense

wronginalltherightways · 21/12/2023 17:36

Tracker1234 · 21/12/2023 16:12

Most people agree NHS is on its knees. Most people think it needs better funding. However THEY dont want to pay anything more personally. That is for others to fund.

Forms have always been chargeable. I am not sure what difference it makes if the form is for a child.

Agree.

Everyone talks a good game about saving the NHS, and how it desperately needs better funding, but heaven forbid all those non-covered extras have to be paid for individually. Those are charges only 'other people' should have to pay. Righto, then. c

banjocat · 21/12/2023 17:40

The NHS aren't 'profiting' from it. You are paying their admin costs instead of the government. That's not 'profiting' - no one is raking in money in the NHS, it's in a pretty poor state if you haven't noticed!

It's normal for the patient to pay admin fees for letters and forms to be filled in.

Really, it seems like the school are at fault - why won't they just accept a standard diagnosis letter which doesn't cost anything? Why do they need the GP to fill in a special form?

Deliria · 21/12/2023 17:41

moomoomoo27 · 21/12/2023 17:21

Maybe reframe it in your mind as a donation to the NHS, which you also benefit from in a form being signed. It is the season of giving after all, and if any good establishment needs all the help it can get, it's the NHS.

You could also look at it in terms of money you've saved by being lucky enough to be in a country with an NHS. If you were in the US you'd be 100 grand down just from giving birth, let alone anything after.

It's not as though OP is paying for it via taxation or anything, is it? Confused