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Original poster

Doctor was £25 cash for doing my fit to fly note

134 replies

PinkBump2022 · 03/08/2022 11:20

I’m going on holiday and since im passed 26 weeks I was told I need a fit to fly note. The dr said she will do this but wants £25 cash in exchange for the note.
is this normal to charge cash? I’m with the NHS in the uk and we never have to pay for things

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Tinadecember · 03/08/2022 12:31

I have never heard of this! I have just returned from a week in tenerife, I printed and filled in the fit to fly document from the Ryanair website and all the doctor had to do was sign it which he had no problem with.

Check who you are flying with as there may be a template that you can fill in yourself and just ask the doctor to sign.

BSQ44 · 03/08/2022 12:36

The requirement will be for someone who has a medical license to sign it. It’s not essential NHS work, will take a little time for the doctor to open your records and verify everything. They will
also need to have their own insurance/indemnity to be signing things like this in case there was any comeback and it was re-looked into so you are contributing towards this as well.

A quick Google will tell you that £25 is fairly cheap and anything up to £50 is very normal and the doctor is still probably not really making much if anything on that and is provably doing it at the end of the day after they’ve finished. Unfortunately this is a small extra cost for your holiday. Have a lovely time!

Some hospital consultants will do it free of charge as a favour/because they can’t be arsed to work out the admin/tax/logistics and they are only asked infrequently. Your GP surgery though is a business and is set up for this.

PandoraP · 03/08/2022 12:36

I thought you only needed this if you were 30 - something week pregnant? I never had to produce this and flew until 38 weeks. No one asked me and I never flew long haul.

housepilot · 03/08/2022 12:43

I think I paid by bank transfer, and it cost more than £25.

Alternatively, maybe the GP could stay half an hour late after work one day to do it for free. They probably haven't got family waiting at home. And then, since they did it properly and checked you are indeed, fit to fly, they're covered by their medical insurance. In case you have a baby or complications abroad and it lands on their doorstop and they are struck off for negligence. £25 is not enough for the time and stress it causes them. They would rather you kept your money and they did their actual job.

Skyeheather · 03/08/2022 12:43

My GP charges £25.00 for this. Maybe it has to be cash because they don't have a card machine? A card machine isn't really something a GP surgery would use very often so not worth getting one....

Plumtreebob · 03/08/2022 12:48

@RavenPaws - he charges his friends? That has really shocked me. I’m not a lawyer but my profession is normally accepted to certify docs and passport photos. I wouldn’t dream of charging friends, we just help each other out. I don’t charge clients for the odd bit of certified ID either! It takes seconds.

OP mine charge £39 a letter so yours is a bargain! They do take card at the reception desk though.

AverageJoan · 03/08/2022 12:54

I don't think it's unusual but it is ridiculous, my midwife did my note for free a few weeks ago

cushioncovers · 03/08/2022 12:54

My gp surgery charges for things like this, it seems to be standard these days.

MissMaple82 · 03/08/2022 12:55

Yes it'd totally normal. Had to buy a fit to fly note from chicken pox

Lapland123 · 03/08/2022 12:56

Charging the fee is certainly expected. Asking specifically for cash is not, same as it would be for anywhere or anyone else!

Itsincidental · 03/08/2022 12:59

Fit to fly letters are not part of NHS service, so your GP is a private provider in this situation. Hence the charge.

Dougieowner · 03/08/2022 13:01

A charge is normal but the cash bit initially sounds a little strange.
It could however be something as simple as unlike dentists & opticians, they don't normally handle money and don't have the facilities for non-cash payments?

TheYearOfSmallThings · 03/08/2022 13:03

It's normal. It was £20 when I was pregnant but that was 7 years ago so £25 sounds right.

PeppaPigIsAnnoying · 03/08/2022 13:05

Ask for a receipt on headed paper

alnawire · 03/08/2022 13:11

PeppaPigIsAnnoying · 03/08/2022 13:05

Ask for a receipt on headed paper

Why?

RavenPaws · 03/08/2022 13:18

@Plumtreebob where did I say he charges his friends? It's £5 to have a solicitor in his firm to witness any legal form or countersign a passport. He doesn't charge his friends ffs.

WonderingWanda · 03/08/2022 13:19

We had this years ago with a medical form for my daughter's school. Gp surgery wanted £50 for it, hospital consultant signed it for free at our appointment.

AppleBottomRats · 03/08/2022 13:21

@RavenPaws you have to have known someone personally for at least 2 years to countersign their passport, so generally a friend.

RavenPaws · 03/08/2022 13:26

@AppleBottomRats or a client he's been working with for 2 years. He doesn't need to know them for 2 years to do a certified copy of a marriage certificate, death certificate or to witness a signature on a divorce

FrancescaContini · 03/08/2022 13:27

Normal at our surgery

Hadalifeonce · 03/08/2022 13:27

I have had to pay GP for letters in the past. It's standard practice.

RuthW · 03/08/2022 13:28

Very normal. It's not nhs work, but private work from an nhs gp.

Whatafielddayfortheheat · 03/08/2022 13:30

Your medical and pre natal care is being delivered by the NHS, but a fit to fly note isn't part of that, it's a private service.

MrsAvocet · 03/08/2022 13:36

It's not NHS work so they are perfectly entitled to charge. Specifically wanting cash is a bit odd though. Our GPs has a card reader but it's a big, multi partner practice, I suppose small practices might not have one.
Last time we went on holiday the airline wanted a letter stating that my DS needed to carry his medication in his hand luggage. I happened to have an appointment with the GP and she did it then and there without charging but gave me a wink and said "Don't tell the Practice Manager I just did that though or I'll be in trouble". On other occasions I've rung to request the same kind of thing and the charge has been £20-30 so I was lucky to get a free letter on that occasion. GP practices are businesses when all said and done.

TeaThings · 03/08/2022 13:37

Paying by cash is actually reasonable. The surgery / GP gets it and hands over the letter. Clear transaction.

If you paid by transfer or card (if they even have a card machine as there are costs for this), someone would have to trace the payment andn confirm receipt before they could hand over the letter to you. I can't see that as a good use of the GP or receptionists time.

£25 is cheap by the way, my GP charges more.