- Private Referrals
Our Practice procedure for processing private referrals is different to NHS referrals.
We hope that these guidelines help to avoid misunderstandings.
- A private referral letter will be required by consultants and your insurance company, the turnaround time for these letters is five working days after seeing your GP. The only exception is if your doctor considers the problem medically urgent, which will be made clear to you at your consultation.
- Your Doctor will only complete a private insurance claim form if you have been referred by your GP before you see a consultant.
- If the appointment with a private consultant has already been made please make clear to the Consultant and your insurance company that the referral letter will take five days from the date of contact with the GP. The five day turnaround is to ensure that all GP’s work is prioritised according to clinical need.
- In the event of seeing a private consultant before the referral letter is ready for collection please ensure that the letter is collected and forwarded to the consultant. The admin team will only email a letter if specifically asked to do so by the GP
- There is no charge for any referral letter but a fee is payable if you wish your GP to complete any private health insurance claim form. (please see below paragraph 3)
2. Private Prescriptions
NCL ICB Medicines Management – local policy for private prescriptions
If a patient wishes to be referred privately, outside of the normal Commissioning arrangements then the patient should be aware that all costs resulting from private consultations are payable by the patient. This includes prescribing costs. Please do not ask GPs to transfer medications issued on private prescriptions to NHS prescriptions.
In the event that a long-term condition following a private consultation is discovered, your GP may be willing to prescribe for your condition but they may wish to substitute the prescribed medication with a therapy they are more familiar with or in accordance with local prescribing policies to enable safer management of your condition.
GPs will be reminding patients during their consultations of this local prescribing policy following requests to be referred for private consultations. An explanatory leaflet is available from reception and is also displayed on our notice board in the entrance hall.
Please remember all prescriptions take 48 hours (two working days) to process. Urgent requests for prescriptions must be made in person at the surgery. Request forms will be handed to Doctors at the end of their surgery, they will not be issued immediately. You will need to return to collect the prescription when advised by our Patient Services team.
