Non-NHS Letter Request

To request a non-NHS letter, please use this form.

All payments will be received at reception and are non-refundable.

There is also a £10 fee for any amendments to the letters that are not an error on our end.

Once you have submitted this form, please visit CMK Medical Centre reception desk with the processing fee. A list of fees payable is available on request.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do gps sometimes charge fees? Isn’t the nhs supposed to be free?

The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions: prescription charges have existed since 1951 and there are a number of other services for which fees are charged. Sometimes the charge is made because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, providing copies of health records or producing medical reports for insurance companies.

Surely the doctor is being paid anyway?

GPs are not employed by the NHS; they are self-employed and have to cover their costs – staff, buildings, heating etc. – in the same way as any small business. The NHS covers these costs for NHS work, but not for non-NHS work.

What is covered by the NHS and what is not?

The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients, including the provision of ongoing medical treatment. In recent years, however, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a whole range of non-medical work. Sometimes the only reason that GPs are asked is because they are in a position of trust in the community, or because an insurance company or employer wants to ensure that information provided to them is true and accurate.

Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form?

A GP’s NHS work must take priority. Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of his or her patients. Most GPs have a very heavy workload and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time.

I only need the doctor’s signature – what is the problem?

When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, therefore, the doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record. Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the Police.

Payment Of Fees

In the past we have completed reports and forms before payment has been made but have sadly found there to be too many occasions when the doctor has given up the time to do the work, but the fee has not been paid. Therefore, the fee must be paid in advance at the time the request for the letter or form to be completed is made or when the appointment for a medical is booked. Due to administrative time taken to complete the letters/medicals, fees are non-refundable.

What can I do to help?

Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight, urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more.