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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:
Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 22:25

mummygirl, rang them as I am currently confined to the house due to suffering swineflu (or at least, nursing a child with swineflu), I am not wanting to spread the joy, believe me!

I rang this morning, spoke to the enqiries line, and the receptionist (or asnwering-ist) said the duty doc would ring back, which she did. doc then explained that note is ok, but that there is admin charge of £10, hence the shock. am thoroughly pissed off, but now confused as to who to be pissed off at.........I understand the why of the charge, not the how much, but now am confused as to whether the school really do legally need it......as for the dance school, I wouldn;t bother if it was for just lesson, but when exams are over £30 quid per one, and she was doing 2, I could quite do with getting the money back.

OP posts:
Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 22:28

jybay, you would think that would be ok wouldn;t you. apparently not according to the receptionist as it is my discharge letter to give to the GP, not a 'proper sicknote' that they can keep and put into her school record. oh, and it is stipulations from the LEA for children with high absences. you have no idea the stress I go thru with regards to explaining to people upon people about DD3 (she has cyclical nuetropenia).

OP posts:
difficultdecision · 21/10/2009 22:33

Can understand the frustration psychomum but the school/LEA are making an unreasonable request.

Let them know there will be a fee and either they need to pay it or they/the LEA need to write directly to your GP with your signed consent (like this bit) if they are not happy to accept your word/ prescription/discharge letter).

Having advised this in the past I've never had LEA or school contact me as they usually realise they are being unreasonable and making the parent jump through silly hoops.

jybay · 21/10/2009 22:35

I think the receptionist may be being over-cautious. If I were you, I would definitely try giving the dance school a copy of the discharge summary - they might accept it then the problem's solved. I'm guessing the receptionist was worried that you would be annoyed with her if she said that the school would definitely accept it and then it didn't, but I can't see you have got anything to lose by trying.

Obviously you need to give the original to the GP (I'm sure you were going to anyway as it sounds like you have been through this whole rigamarole lots of times), but I think you are perfectly entitled to make a copy & give it to the school.

edam · 21/10/2009 22:36

jybay - the average £100k+ figure is NOT before the costs of running the practice are taken out, though. That's gross pay before tax. IIRC isn't that stat from the Docs and Dentists Salary Review Board?

Am not arguing that doctors don't deserve decent pay btw.

difficultdecision · 21/10/2009 22:37

Definately no problem copying discharge summaries, usually there are three copies (GP.you.hospital notes) so if you haven't been given with copy away!

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 22:38

thankyou for that DD...I will indeed suggest that to them, in hope that they leave me alone. I am irritated, they know what it is wrong with her, they have a letter from her consultant, and yet, now they demand notes after she has been in hosp.

upshot is then, IABU with regards to being pissed off at GP, but I can be justified directing it elsewhere then??

ok,

OP posts:
jybay · 21/10/2009 22:40

Excellent - down with the dancers!

difficultdecision · 21/10/2009 22:40

Hope you are both feeling better soon

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 22:41

jybay, yup, many many times, at least, with regards to hosp and addmintences and discharge notes etc.

first time ever to have asked for a sick-note for anyone other than me, and I have never been charged before (I was always given them free when I was still a WOHM).

OP posts:
2rebecca · 21/10/2009 22:41

£10 is cheap. My practice's minimum fee for any sort of non-NHS GP note is £15, mainly because the GPs don't want to do them, and don't have to do them, and charging makes people question the person asking for the note.

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 22:44

thankyou for the betterness wishes, and lol @ 'down with dancers' (well, dance teachers, not my dancing girlies).

this is all so stressful.......DD3 has obviously been very poorly, DH has been in bed for 2days with it (and I cannot ever remember him not being able to get out of bed when ill), the boys are now sickenging with it as they refused tea, pudding and asked to go to bed tonight, I have had a temp now for 3days, but am functioning, and the older two girls are not living at hime this week pretty much in hopes of them avoiding it.

this is not fun!

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WUGYouLETMeBiteYourNeck · 21/10/2009 22:45

Yay for psychomum and a Victory For GPs Common Sense!

Hope she is better soon

TrillianSlasher · 21/10/2009 22:46

To add to the list... and you've been deprived of going to see Flame's new tiny huge baby!

jybay · 21/10/2009 22:48

Hope you are all feeling better very soon. No wonder you were in need of a nice therapeutic rant!

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 22:51

yes trillian........not seeing scrummy new baby is very much the most pants thing out of all this

jybay, yup, ranting is just what the doc ordered

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Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 22:52

altho, wug, not sure commen sense should be applied to me

OP posts:
TrillianSlasher · 21/10/2009 22:54

Why are new babies scrummy? Scrummy sounds like a boarding-school word for something that is nice to eat. I don't imagine new babies would be nice to eat.

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 22:59

oh trillian, some babies you really could just eat all up (meant in a scrummy, ooh gorgeous type-of-way).

OP posts:
diddl · 21/10/2009 23:11

So, ordinarily a school wouldn´t require a note from doctor?

It is because of attendance?

Therefore it is outside of what the doctor is required to do?

diddl · 21/10/2009 23:12

Forgot to say, re dance school-depending on how much you would get back, the tenner might be worth it?

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 23:22

diddle, tis ok, have been very reliably informed IABU to expect it to be free. am now directing pissed-off-ness at school and dancing

oh, and going to ring both an play on how much the GP wants to charge, how unfair it is, I have no money....yada yada yada....see how I get on. I have proof tho, thats the stoopid thing, just not the 'right type' according to different secretarys.

ho hum.......this is what AIBU is all about isn;t he, being told you are (or aren;t, possibly....I live in hope)

OP posts:
islandofsodor · 21/10/2009 23:32

As someone who works for a drama school who enters children for exams please don't get angry at the dance school.

The exam board stipulates that a medical certificate is required for exam fees to be refunded (and for music and drama boards often it is only 50% that you get). The dance schools hands will be tied it is the exam board who will be holding the money.

Original poster
psychomum5 · 21/10/2009 23:34

oh island, please don;t confoose me.....was just changing my AIBU reasoning.

everyone has points.....................still doesn;t help my pocket tho does it

OP posts:
islandofsodor · 21/10/2009 23:38

Sorry, but it is true.

We pay the money to the exam board and then everything is taken out of our hands.

Although hooray for LAMDA who gave a 50% credit to a child with a broken leg and just a letter from me. I put in the extra 50% myself as a gesture of goodwill.