Does this seem fair?

[Turtletumy]

I want to rant.
We were due to be going on holiday this weekend but have had to cancel as my Husbands back has gone.
He had this happen before and had to have paramedics out, x rays etc but not for about ten years,.
The worst time this happened he was on the front room floor for weeks.
He is in enormous pain, can barely walk to the toilet and his hip has slipped to the side.

We spoke to Easy Jet who said they may give us a credit if we provide a doctors not fit to fly, we are also insured.
The doctor has signed my Husband off sick from work but says back pain is no reason not to fly so won’t sign the form.
Im assuming the insurance will ask for the same.
The doctor has not seen him as he can’t get down the stairs let alone into a car and off to the surgery, the assessment was done over the phone.

So it appears that is it isn’t it?.
£1000 down the drain 🙁🙁🙁

YANBU The doctor should assess your Husband before deciding.
YABU That life, suck it up buttercup.

Sounds like the GP is being a douche! I'd suggest contacting gp again for their help.

I would contact the Practice Manager and complaint - that is completely unacceptable.

Ask to speak to another GP and explain that if he can't get to the doctors surgery, he can't get to the airport and onto a plane for the same reason. It's no skin off their nose to sign the forms, don't roll over, pursue.

Providing a note to say unfit to fly would be private work, the GP is not obliged to do this. You may wish to pursue this matter in the private sector.

How would we do this please?

I would most certainly pursue this.

I would also want an assessment to rule out slipped discs, cord equina etc.

It’s not acceptable to make assumptions/assessments over the phone.

Ring again, complain to the practice manager.

I have put in a complaint asking if this is their policy, why back pain is different to any other sickness, (especially as you can see where his back has slipped) and asking if we should have insisted on a home visit even though the ‘answer would be the same.’ (I may still ask for one so it is registered on his records).
I pointed out that without this we were unable to claim on the insurance.
I have looked online for private certificates but they all look a bit dodgy, any advice on that would be great 😀

NHS sick notes are for only statutory sick pay. To obtain fitness to fly or unfit to fly notes you will have to see a private doctor, or pay for a private note, the GP is not obligated to do this for you. I would suggest check out bupa or similar.

Ask your insurance what medical information they need for you to make a claim

They have to have an unfit to travel certificate from the doctor 🙁

We were happy to pay for a note.
I will check out BUPA thank you.😀

When I had a situation where I couldn’t fly, the GP said they’d do the note but on a private basis. It would only have been £25 though.

As it happened, the reason I couldn’t fly was that I had Covid - but properly ill with it, it wasn’t the fact it was Covid as it was recently, it was the fact I was too ill to travel. My insurance company accepted the Covid test as evidence, even though it had no bearing really on my being too ill.

Give the insurance company a call as they may accept a lesser form of evidence.

Crazy that your doctor wouldn’t provide the note. I’m sure my GP has a price list for notes like this. You have to pay but it saves the hassle of finding a private GP to do it for you.

Also the doctor point blank refused to issue one, it wasn’t a case of money, that wasn’t mentioned, she said lower back pain was no reason not to travel and that was that.
Is that a normal surgery policy?, if it is then she should have said that.
If that’s her personal opinion on it and not surgery policy I have every right to question her decision.

I would try and do a BUPA or similar remote consultation with a GP and see if they will give you a certificate / fill in the form from the insurance company.

Are you able to see the record of the consultation on the NHS app? It might include more information about why they wouldn’t write a letter which could be discussed. It may be that the GP does not do non-NHS work like writing letters.