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

Move along. It’s all been covered long ago.

Hope you’re enjoying making yourself feel morally superior.

Yes, good idea! Changing my mindset will make all of this sooo much easier! Why didn’t I think of that!

Yes this is normal. It's a reasonable thing to ask for and a reasonable thing for the gp to do but there is no government funding for GPs to do this kind of work, and someone has to pay.

Blame the DWP for insisting on pointless letters that they often ignore, rather than using a print out of the patient summary (and a GP can take a minute or two to print out the more pertinent stuff)... rather than the GP for charging for their time, or the NHS for not covering what should not be bloody necessary.

Thank your GP's for actually offering this private service in the first place because a great many will not do letters, regardless of whether you're happy to pay for them or not! (Mine do not, my previous ones do not the other practice in my town also does not. Blanket policy!)

I don’t feel morally superior. I disagree with you and have expressed that politely, unlike you.

I agree it’s not a solution, but you are obviously angry and unhappy, and unable to change any of the fundamental factual circumstances. Where that is the case, and it seems there’s nothing else to try - isn’t it worth trying anything to feel better, including changing your mindset? I wouldn’t have said this if I didn’t know from grim experience that it can help a little.

Getting a blue badge for Sen is incredibly difficult because technically they can walk the prerequisite number of steps. Having a battle here despite the fact dsd needs the door fully opened to manoeuvre in and someone needs to do up her belt. Severe epilepsy (several a day) means access to the car is essential - still said no!

Well, I don't understand the stretch from DLA not covering the cost of bringing up a disabled child to this weird stretch to someone waiting for a knee replacement. It's not a race to the bottom, you know? I know a wide section of MN likes to stick the boot into parents of children with SN. hope you feel better now.

We subsidize medical training to make medical care available to all and to keep the pipeline full of new physicians. It’s a public good. Not a reason to expect GPs to give up their time at no charge for certain cohorts.

Yes. I'm surprised how it's still only £40. I needed a gp letter 25 years ago so I could work on the NHS and it was £40 then.

The G.P will more than likely charge. I’m
interested in why your LA needs a letter though, the PIP award and an explanation from you should be enough. It’s overkill.

I work for an LA (fraud).

Surely you know that the state (taxpayers) pay 600K per qualification (training) per one GP?

Any evidence for this?

I see - it goes in one direction only.

It's a civil matter, not a medical one.

That's why there's a charge.

Local councils control parking in their areas. And how many disabled parking spaces. And grant blue badges.

That's why it's nothing to do with the NHS and nothing to do with the GP and why they charge for it.

So any uni courses and apprenticeships mean that the qualified person should give their time for free?

It's one of the problems with the NHS structure. People expect everything free all of the time & get cross & entitled when asked to contribute anything.

It's a standard charge for non NHS services & when you think about it why should the NHS be paying for letters to outside services.

I needed a similar letter appx 2 years ago & it was £15. My GP waived the charge due to our specific circumstances but surely for something like a blue badge letter you would expect to pay.

The reality of most disability is the extra costs far outweigh the benefits you can receive.

OP I appreciate you may be in dire circumstances financially - would the surgery accept payment by installments - perhaps £5 a week? Or are there hardship loans etc you could access.

I think it's pretty clear the OP started this thread cos they fancied a bit of a scrap.

If they have time to behave like this online then I'm sure they have time to go and earn the money to pay for this letter.

It's the council ego administer blue badges and not the DWP

Yes, it is I’m afraid as it is outside their contract.
Years ago I took my passport photo to my gp appointment for countersignature.He had his pen in his hand anyway

Wow.

I’ve actually got today off to sort out all my life admin - including doing the blue badge application stuff.

I do work, not that it’s any of your business, in a well paid job that lets me be flexible as I need to work around my child‘s school hours as specialist settings do not offer wraparound care.

Unfortunately while I am well paid, the cost of living in the south east is very high and the cost of raising a disabled child is also very high.

@YellowDuster12
Fucking hell How rude and ignorant are you?!! It’s you looking to cause a scrap
Get a fucking life

It depends on the route ,my son gets it automatically because he gets HRM,because he has severe mental impairment and that has nothing to.do with how far he can walk.

Yes it’s normal for a GP to charge.

Does he get high rate mobility? If he does then he should automatically get a blue badge.

if not do you have any reports from paediatrician, OT, SaLT, etc that show that he meets the criteria?

id be tempted to gather everything you do have and if they decline then ask for a GP report and appeal.

Yes but ask for it to be reduced if you are in receipt of benefits?

You don't automatically get a Bb for high mobility.

It depends on which part of mobility you get the rate for