Non-NHS Services

Private Paperwork

Frequently the GPs are asked to complete work that is not covered under the contract with the NHS. In this case, where time is required to handle the request by the GP or others on their behalf, it is common for a reimbursement fee to be charged for this. Common examples include:

• Medicals for pre-employment and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
• Insurance claim forms
• Holiday cancellation forms
• Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
• Exemption forms
• Vaccination certificates

We ask that if a patient believes they need a GP to complete paperwork on their behalf, to first contact our Reception team for advice. If the request is uncommon, then we may need to take a copy of the form for the GP to view prior to completion. Please be aware that, in all cases, the GPs reserve the right to decline any request. In such cases, we will contact the patient to inform them of the decision where necessary. 

Please note that the practice does not accept payment by either debit or visa card. Payments must be made by exact cash or cheque only. Please make all cheques out to Dr Hakes & Partners to allow these to be cashed and prevent any issues with the release of your forms.

If you have any queries regarding an insurance report, you can call the dedicated Insurance Line on 0114 2292978 between 9:00am and 17:00pm., and speak to a member of the Administration team. We are required to prioritise our contracted NHS work, and so if we are unable to answer your call, please call again at a later time.

Housing Letters and Letters of GP Support

GP Letters of Support

The Practice committed to supporting our patients. However, when applying for benefits, housing, passes, adjustments or any other matter where medical conditions may be relevant, we will only supply this information when approached formally by a third party for a factual report.

We will not supply letters of support directly to patients. Please do not book an appointment to request this.

This is not a reflection on the Practice support of the claimant, but requests should be received from the third party with the patients’ formal consent.

We will only complete factual responses. We are not able to give an opinion. If in doubt we will refuse to complete the request and may offer to issue a copy of medical records instead with your consent.

Please be aware that a charge will apply for any completed requests, and this will be passed on to the requesting persons/service, as this does not fall within our NHS contract. 

Housing Applications

We do not provide letters for housing, so please do not request these.  Whilst we appreciate that housing problems can be stressful, this is a matter for the council housing office, and not an appropriate use of a GP appointment.  If the council requires additional medical information, they will send a specific form to the GP surgery. You will need to provide your written consent for this.

If you are intending to apply for a council home for health reasons you do not need to send a letter from the GP. The Council will write, in confidence, to your doctor if further information is required.

GPs receive frequent requests for medical letters and reports in support of housing applications from a variety of sources – the local authority, housing associations, directly from patients and from patients via Citizens Advice Bureau. The arrangements for seeking GP reports and for payment vary from local authority area to local authority area, and even when clearly agreed are often not implemented by local authority staff. However all requests should come via the Council or Housing Association and not the patient.

Information in support an application based on health grounds should be supplied by the applicant using a form provided by the Housing Department (self-assessment). This should not require any input from the GP/practice.

Only if additional information is required, should the Housing Department Medical Officer obtain it from the applicant’s doctor, preferably using a standard form, provided the patient has given written consent. The Medical Officer should seek information which is only available to the GP, for example:

• the diagnosis;
• severity of the illness;
• medication

We understand that patients are often wrongly advised to get a letter from their GP, and if needed, we can supply you with a letter outlining the above that you can show to anyone wrongly directing you to us for such documentation.

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Private Appointments

The Practice is contracted for NHS work and therefore our GPs do not, and are unable to, provide or recommend any form of private healthcare appointment. Patients who may be interested in such a service are required to arrange these provisions for themselves. If an appropriate referral letter is required then this may be arranged by your GP with their agreement.