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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be a tad pissed off with the GP for demanding £10 pound for a sick note for DD3 having swine flu<<argh>>!!

104 replies

psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 21:25

rant rant rant.

school and dancing reqire sick-note with regards to DD3 having swine flu. school because she is down to 80% attendance already this term due to this and also contracting norovirus 2wks back and having a week off.

dance school are asking as she was supposed to be doing dance exams on saturday and obviously can;t, and for me to get money back they need a note (completely reasonable).

what is not is that the GP said it it will cost £10 as she is a child not an employee, and besides, the governmnet has decreed that anyone suffering swine-flu should not need a note.................all another way of taxing us IMVHO as IME employers do still require sick-notes so they can pay sickpay properly.

tis soooooooooo not fair.

OP posts:
TrillianSlasher · 21/10/2009 21:28

If the government have told the GPs that swine flu dosn't need a note (so as not to waste doctors time I assume) then the school shouldn't need a note.

Your DD3 is a bit of a delicate flower anyway isn't she? Can there just be an all-purpose permanent note to give any schools/classes/etc that says 'psychobaby3 is likely to be ill a lot, get over it and shut up'.

jybay · 21/10/2009 21:29

Do you not think GPs have better things to be doing in an epidemic?

WUGYouLETMeBiteYourNeck · 21/10/2009 21:30

School should pay
Their silly rules
Not GP's job to police school attendance

sorry

Longtalljosie · 21/10/2009 21:31

Oh come now - a sick note takes all of two seconds. And if the school is asking for it, what else is the OP supposed to do?

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 21:32

trillian, they have a note from her consultant, but the LEA seems to wish to ignore it.

jybay, yes, maybe so, but 10 sodding quid for a ruddy signature??? bit extreme don;t you think considering a prescription is 'only' £7.25!

OP posts:
TotalChaos · 21/10/2009 21:33

for school purposes would have thought a copy gp appointment card (that receptionist can fill in!) and/or tamiflu script should suffice. (have had a discussion on here with saggar a very helpful poster who works in Education Welfare) about the sort of evidence that is required of illness.

mummygirl · 21/10/2009 21:34

I'd be pissed off, but if there's no way around it I'd demand that the school pays for it

luciemule · 21/10/2009 21:35

and children don't have to pay for prescriptions!!!

MaureenMLove · 21/10/2009 21:35

I thought the NHS was free for under 16's??? I'd be pissed off that they're charging anything for DD. A sick note is hardly going to make him run late now, is it? It'll take 30 seconds to fill in the date to and from and sign the damn thing!

Sorry DD3 is poorly, btw!

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 21:36

nope, GP sick-note only apparently. she was on hospital over the weekend as her temp was so high, and she has a serious immune deficiancy, and has the tamilflu box with her name on plus hospital discharge letter, but that is addressed to the GP so I am not allowed to use it.

fucking rediculaous (can't spell that,sorry) if you ask me, and I can understand the GP not wanting to do it, but to charge for it....???.

OP posts:
Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 21:38

maureen, me too.....seems not it certain cases

OP posts:
Piffle · 21/10/2009 21:39

ignore the school, if the officlas that worry about absence care they can request doctors records.
You do not need a sick note for a school.

And as dance is private and you wish for a refund then you should pay.

What age is the child?
DD is 7 and has 70% attendance and nothing has been said?

Piffle · 21/10/2009 21:41

And snort at GP's in the Epidemic
They send you away at the door, you collect from a designated point (not them) a tamiflu pack.
And if you do not want tamiflu, then you are screwed for help as GP surgeries will not deal with you.
So the load on GP's is erm.... debatable

difficultdecision · 21/10/2009 21:41

MaureenMLove

yes but some things aren't available on the NHS and 'sick notes' except for a particular set of circumstances (sick pay or benefits) are one of them.

psychomum - YABU to expect your GP to do this for free when the school and dancing classes don't even have the decency to accept your word and judgement as a parent. YwouldNBU to be pissed off at them though and tell them if they want it they should pay rather than waste your poor GPs time. (it takes longer than 5 seconds and can you IMAGINE how many they would have to do if they agreed to do it out of the goodness of their hearts for every single request?)

jybay · 21/10/2009 21:43

"And if the school is asking for it, what else is the OP supposed to do? " Er, pay.

Have you any idea how many requests GPs get for this sort of note? At least 40 per week for the average GP, I'd say - and that's with a charge. If we started doing them for free, we would do nothing else.

We are only funded to do the official certificates for employers. You are asking your GP to do your DD's certificate at his/her own cost. Actually I do often waive the charge for people on benefits needing notes for the housing authority because I think it is very unfair that those are not funded but dance lessons? Come off it!

difficultdecision · 21/10/2009 21:43

Piffle - just come and try it one day.

TrillianSlasher · 21/10/2009 21:44

Thereare good reasons for keeping people with suspected swine flu away from the doctor's surgery - in a serious epidemic you do not want the doctors or the other sick people at the surgery to catch flu.

mummygirl · 21/10/2009 21:45

jybay, what and why does it cost a gp to write a sick note?

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 21:46

.......

I can understand the docs not being thrilled by this, I have to be honest, I am still very shocked by the amount they are demanding tho. at the most it take up less time than a regualar appointment (which is 5mins), which means, by my calculations, if they sign one note per 5mins (and not ejust for swine flu here I hasten to add), they will earn £120 per hour.

bloody high rates me thinks!!!

OP posts:
jybay · 21/10/2009 21:48

Swine flu no burden on GPs?

40-50 extra phone calls per day (a bit better now the swine flu line is running but lots of people don't trust it & still contact us)

Lots more home visits for people who can't come to the surgery

Increased general anxiety (completely understandable) in the population about all infectious illness, hence more calls & appointments

Disaster planning - there is still a chance the mortality rate will go right up.

Staff training

Immunisations

Queries about immunisations

MaureenMLove · 21/10/2009 21:48

OK, fair point. You obviously know this to be the case, because you are on the 'inside'! But if I go to the doctors, take my place in the queue and get my 5 mins, there is still time for the dr to fill in a sick note and be out the door within my alloted time, so surely it doesn't take that long?

I understand what you're saying about some things not being available on NHS though.

So, Psycho, go kick some arse at school and dance! What happens if you are just unwell from what Kbear always describes as 'non specific unwellness!' Would Dance still expect a sick note?

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 21:48

piffle, DD3 is 10.

and it isn;t for dance lessons, it is for dance exams, and that I could (kind of) get.

school tho......should come under normal sick note reasons, and the same note would cover both as the teacher at dancing only needs to see and copy, the school can keep for records. ergo, one note, one signiture, and not much time spent.

OP posts:
mummygirl · 21/10/2009 21:50

jybay, cost of sick notes?

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 21:51

jybay, you can;t complain about the pressure from the imms surely..........you get paid extra for those don;t you????

not taking away the extra strain from the phone calls, I am sure there must be lots of the 'worried-well' ringing in.

OP posts:
bigstripeytiger · 21/10/2009 21:54

It wouldnt be NHS work, so not surprising that there is a charge for it. Same as if you wanted a letter from a solictor there would be a charge.

I agree though, if the school requested the sick note, they should be the ones paying for it, not psychomum.