Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Due to time pressures we are not always able to carry out non-NHS work, so please check with us before handing in any forms.

• Insurance claim forms
• Firearms certificate 
• Letters for taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability.

Please ask for more information if the work you are asking us to do is not listed here or if you are not sure what the fee will be. Some of these fees are payable by the company asking for the report and some are payable by the patient depending on the nature of the work.

Please allow at least 10 working days for processing private work.

Our FAQs below provide more information about our 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.

Sometimes the charge is made to cover some of the cost of treatment, for example, dental fees; in other cases, it is 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?

It is important to understand that most GPs are not employed by the NHS; they are self-employed, and they must cover their costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc – in the same way as any small business. The NHS covers these costs for NHS work, but for non-NHS work, the fees charged by GPs contribute towards their costs.

Why have fees gone up?

GP workload has increased significantly over the last 5-10 years. Much of this is due to increased paperwork. As a practice, we have felt the need to prioritise our clinical work over administrative, non-NHS work. Costs, such as staffing, heating etc are rising with inflation and, as such, we feel the cost of our non-NHS work needs to also rise to keep our practice sustainable. 

What is covered by the NHS and what is not?

The Scottish 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.

Do GPs have to do non-NHS work for their patients?

With certain limited exceptions, for example a GP confirming that one of their patients is not fit for jury service, GPs do not have to carry out non-NHS work on behalf of their patients.

Whilst GPs will always attempt to assist their patients with the completion of forms, for example for insurance purposes, they are not required to do such non-NHS work.

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

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, so many GPs find they must take some paperwork home at night and weekends.

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. 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.

How have the charges been worked out?

The BMA recommends that GPs tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and what the fee will be. It is up to individual doctors to decide how much they will charge, but the BMA produces lists of suggested fees which many doctors use. We have a list of our up-to-date fees above. This has been decided by taking into account to the time taken and the level of risk involved in doing this work.

What can I do to help?

Not all documents need a signature by a doctor, for example passport applications. You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign such documents free of charge.

If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your GP if he or she is prepared to complete them at the same time to speed up the process.

Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight - we will always prioritise clinical, NHS work. Urgent requests may mean that a doctor must make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more.