GP charging for blue badge letter - disabled child

[GPlettercharge]

Just checking if this is usual practice to be charged for a GP to write a supporting letter for a blue badge application for a disabled child?

My child is 5, has profound learning difficulties and ASD. Is non verbal and attends specialist school. Displays many challenging behaviours and has no sense of danger. Regularly refuses to walk and can also try to run into the road etc.

Our local authority are notoriously difficult in giving out blue badges and I was advised by his specialist school to get a supporting letter from the GP to apply for a blue badge as they’ve seen first hand how dangerous he is in a car park.

Our GP had an appt with him and has agreed to write the letter. However they have charged £40 for this.

Is this standard? It seems excessive, it’s not as though we’ve asked for a letter to support us going on holiday or something. This is for a disabled child!

I suppose I will pay it if necessary but wanted to check if this was the norm.

Thanks

The entirety of his DLA payments and much more money ALREADY pay for all the treatments he doesn’t get on the NHS eg speech therapy.

He’s non verbal but apparently the NHS deem that he should be signed off from the service. Same with OT. Weekly sessions of this are £90 and £55 per time. Do you think DLA covers this?

TOWARDS?

They don’t even touch the sides of everything he needs.

OP, I do wonder if you might be eligible for the high rate of mobility. You might want to take advice on this. I’m presuming your child doesn’t currently get high rate because otherwise the blue badge would be automatic.

I wouldn’t know as I am not privy to his information, you asked a question and we answered it!

Continue your drip feeding tho, we asked questions based on your OP and you answered!

Stop getting pissy because you don’t like the replies!

I’m sorry you have such a fight to get support for your son. Some posters enjoy sticking the boot in, it’s really unpleasant.

As PP have said, it's standard. It's additional work.

I'm NHS and used to work in an area where we filled in a fair few DVLA forms, so long as we did it outside of clinical time so weren't using NHS time, we individually got to keep the fee paid for by the DVLA. I don't think anyone individually did that many though, probably 5 or so a year.

It was free for the service user though, the DVLA paid the fee.

Has the LA actually requested the letter or just the school suggested/asked for it (in which case the school could pay for it). If the LA could issue a blue badge based on freebee printouts of records but chose not to then they are the problem not the GP. Letter writing isn't commissioned and is essentially private practice because they don't do it at the expense of commissioned 'NHS' work, it's done on top of. Either way, £40 is cheap if you compare it to what a solicitor/other professional would charge for an equivalent amount of work (and I get that it's probably not cheap if you're shelling out for all sorts to support a disabled child, but it's really not a bad service from the GP).

Don't you get DLA/PIP for him which is meant to go towards extra costs of disability if which this is definitely one

It is normal to charge for letters like that. Although some people have sufficient evidence without such a letter.

Have you considered doing a COC for DLA to pursue HRM? It wouldn’t be quick but HRM DLA means someone is automatically entitled to blue badge.

If DS reasonably requires SALT and OT, they should be in the EHCP. Provision in EHCPs isn’t limited to what the NHS typically provides. You could request an early review of the EHCP to pursue this. Although you might have to appeal.

Completely! The fact that it is the 'we're being penalised' for asking someone to do a job and pay them for it is even more surprising!

Feel free to pm me if you want, OP. I also have a child the same age who is severely affected by ASD.

They can charge but I am surprised they have. My GP regularly provides letters and sickness notes to my 20yo for college and DSA related stuff and states that as it is for school and they are not earning that they will not charge. Am increasingly aware that my practice may be one of the good ones, though.

Yes we have challenged this at his annual review and they refused to include speech therapy or OT.

We are currently appealing it and expect for it to end up at tribunal. I expect we will win but that means another whole year of him being without the therapy so we are of course paying for it in the meantime.

Its all very stressful and upsetting that the local authority are trying to deny him what he desperately needs.

We couldn’t challenge it when it was originally issued as we needed the finalised EHCP to be issued with the specialist school named and if we had appealed he would’ve missed a place which are extremely limited.

A Dr isn't judged as being good based on how much unpaid labour they do.

I presume you do not have a disabled child?

As I’m sure you wouldn’t lack empathy like this if you did

I shouldn’t be surprised at some of the nasty people who come out of the woodwork to post on a subject like this but as ever I am.

I stupidly posted this on AIBU.

It just shows what people think of those with disabilities and can’t show even an ounce of sympathy to someone struggling who has simply asked a question.

I fear for the world my son is growing up in

Indeed… but they are judged by how much goodwill and empathy they show their vulnerable patients. Hence my feeling the GPs at my surgery are ‘good’.

/s

What are you shocked by? That trained professionals being asked to give their opinion are paid for it? Why shouldn’t they be? I work in a different professional field and the amount of clients who expect all sorts of extras free is infuriating. Current best one is a client who has caused additional work of more than 4x the fee quote and feels they shouldn’t pay for any of it (we haven’t charged them even twice the amount of original estimate despite them now having had 5x the work). It additionally sticks in my craw because I do a great deal of pro bono work for those who genuinely need it, as I’m sure do most Drs. And then when we say “sorry, can’t do this for free” people are shocked? That’s a real kick in the pants.

If the NHS doesn’t pay then you don’t have it or you pay. Why should the Dr effectively pay? It’s not shocking. Your situation sounds really tough, but if the State isn’t prepared to shelter you from this aspect of that (and maybe it should be), why should a private individual who already likely contributes significantly to the national coffers in tax do so?

I’m sorry to sound harsh, because I am sympathetic, but I’m truly appalled (though not shocked) that you expect someone to provide the skills they use to earn their livelihood for free because your life is tough. The answer is if they do you should be incredibly grateful but it shouldn’t be an expectation - which your shock suggests it is.

Round here it's so common for even GP supporting evidence to be ignored that our practice won't provide letters even if you pay.

Not for blue badges or PIP or DLA.

The only time they will is if the DWP contact them, which generally only happens at appeals stage when the tribunal will ask for evidence.

It could also be an opportunity.

If you have a new Reform councillor get in quick and describe the problems under the previous regime and point out how they can quickly demonstrate how much better Reform will be (even if you have to grit your teeth for a photo op).

If its one of the usual parties get them to fight your corner against Reform to demonstrate how much worse it is under Reform (which may also require teeth gritting for a photo op).

Play them at their own game.

It sucks, especially as families with disabled children are often disadvantaged financially due to the hard cash cost of raising a disabled child.

Why? because you asked someone to do work for you that they wanted a small payment for?

Blue badges aren't always automatic with high rate mobility.

My DD gets the "wrong" bit of HRM to qualify automatically here, she had to apply and then appeal for her BB.

@GPlettercharge rather than get a GP letter, are you able to send a copy of a consultants letter or diagnostic report instead? It’s what I’ve done for the blue badge application (and exam accommodations, DSA and PIP applications). They usually just need evidence that the disability you reference is real, they don’t necessarily need a GP letter?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-can-i-get-one/can-i-get-a-blue-badge#people-who-automatically-get-a-blue-badge. 
It’s different for PIP, but the OP’s child is 5 and would be eligible for DLA, rather than PIP.
Sorry you had so much trouble getting a blue badge sorted. They really are so important.

It takes just as much time whether for what you deem a “frivolous” reason or not.

The fee isn’t a value judgement on the content of the letter. It’s to compensate for their time and expertise.