Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure that charges for medical evidence letters, certificates, and reports are fair and proportionate for patients in financial hardship or vulnerable groups; and what assessment his Department has made of the impact of such charges on patient access to essential documentation.

There are some medical evidence letters, certificates, or reports that general practices (GPs) may charge for, and others that they must not charge patients for. The legislation that sets this out is the General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services Regulations, which form the basis of the GP Contract with the National Health Service. There is no statutory limit to the level of such fees as this is outside of core NHS work.

The Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association (BMA) suggests guideline fees for such services to help doctors to set their own professional fees.

We recognise that there are concerns about some fees GPs charge for letters and the consistency of those charges, as well as the additional burden these requests can place on GPs. Where GPs charge for that evidence, these charges should be clear, fair, and consistent. Where possible and appropriate, we would encourage people to use alternative evidence.

We are continuing to work across the Government to cut red tape and improve ways of working, including work to improve the patient experience, such as removing the need to request unnecessary medical evidence where possible.