Medeconomics surveyed practices across the UK on the rates they charge for 23 commonly-requested non-NHS services.
We received 306 responses to the survey, which was undertaken in October and November 2016. The majority of practices were in England.
The following fees have been updated:
- Private health insurance claim form
- School fees insurance claim form
- Holiday/travel insurance: cancellation claim
- Income protection insurance claim
- Life insurance application
- Assessment of capacity certificate COP3 no examination
- Assessment of capacity certificate COP3 with examination
- Private sick note
- Private patient consultation
- Private prescription charge
- Private blood test
- DNA paternity test
- Adoption/fostering health assessment (form AH)
- Adoption/fostering update report (form AH2)
- Housing needs report
- Driving - full physical medical examination and report
- Driving - report no examination
- Employment medical
- Fitness to exercise
- Fitness to attend school
- Fitness to travel
- Pregnant woman's medical certificate - fitness to fly
- Shotgun firearm license
Other findings from the survey
Just over a third of practices responding to the survey (37%) said that the amount of income their practice earned from private and professional work had remained the same over the past 12 months. A further third (34%) of practices said the amount they earned from this work had decreased, while 19% said it had increased. The remainder did not know whether earnings had increased.
Some 38% of respondents said that their practice planned to take steps to increase the amount of income earned from private and professional fees in the coming 12 months.
Steps practices planned to take included charging patients and organisations up front for private work, reviewing and increasing fees where relevant and advertising the private services they provide.
This year's survey also asked practices if there were any private services that they had stopped providing in the past 12 months due to rising workload in general practice. 32% of respondents said their practice had stopped certain services, which included passport signing, housing letters, capacity assessments and 'fitness for' certificates.
