Pre-employment medicals

Tivvy1

My daughter has just got a job with an airline as cabin crew she has been asked to get a pre-employment medical done which she has to pay for herself. Our GP wants to charge £120 which I think is outrageous, and to add insult to injury the GP will only do it on a Friday morning which means she has to take time off work which means she loses even more money. Can someone tell me if this has to be done by her own GP or can she shop around.

Uncertain

Tivvy1 wrote: »

My daughter has just got a job with an airline as cabin crew she has been asked to get a pre-employment medical done which she has to pay for herself. Our GP wants to charge £120 which I think is outrageous, and to add insult to injury the GP will only do it on a Friday morning which means she has to take time off work which means she loses even more money. Can someone tell me if this has to be done by her own GP or can she shop around.

Why do you think £120 is outrageous?

A fairly junior solicitor comes at around £200 per hour and will have spent less years training than your GP.

GPs are self employed (or employed by their practice) and not employed directly by the NHS. They have a contract to provide certain services for the NHS. Anything outside of that is chargeable at a commercial rate.

I appreciate that all professional fees seem expensive when you are faced with the bill but I doubt you will get it for much less. OK, you may get a more convenient day elsewhere but that doctor won't have access to her records so it is likely to take longer. You would need to double check if that is acceptable to the airline.

Wyndham

It's partly because it's not on the NHS, so it's at commercial rates. The NHS gives us a lot of care for nothing, but things like this need to be charged for as funds are limited.

After saying that, does the airline have a doctor she can use? There would still probably be a charge though....

Tivvy1

Okay point taken, however, as I am paying for a service I should be able to shop around for the best price and get a time that is more suitable to me. Also, if it’s right that we have to use our own GP what’s to stop a doctor saying he will charge £1000, the point I am trying to make is there is no competition therefore they can charge what they like and there is nothing I can do about it.

Uncertain

Tivvy1 wrote: »

Also, if it’s right that we have to use our own GP what’s to stop a doctor saying he will charge £1000, the point I am trying to make is there is no competition therefore they can charge what they like and there is nothing I can do about it.

Only the airline can tell you if a report from someone other than her own GP is acceptable to them, there is no overriding rule.

I image the GMC lays down guidelines about the maximum that can be charged, certainly if it can only be done by her own GP.

Tivvy1

The airline has said that ideally it would be good to use my own GP but I could use any Doctor if I wanted. I have phoned around several GP Practices with charges ranging from £60 - £150 the problem is when I try and book the medical they all say I have to use my own GP which means I have to pay his price!

I have the medical form and all that is required for the medical is:
Health questionnaire – which my daughter can fill in
Blood Pressure, Vision, Hearing, Listen to the Heart, Feel the tummy, look over the limbs and spine all can be completed by any competent GP.

If my car needed servicing I would shop around for the best deal, I do not understand why I cannot do it with the Pre-employment medical, especially as I am paying for this as a private patient – this just feels wrong

Uncertain

Tivvy1 wrote: »

The airline has said that ideally it would be good to use my own GP but I could use any Doctor if I wanted. I have phoned around several GP Practices with charges ranging from £60 - £150 the problem is when I try and book the medical they all say I have to use my own GP which means I have to pay his price!

I have the medical form and all that is required for the medical is:
Health questionnaire – which my daughter can fill in
Blood Pressure, Vision, Hearing, Listen to the Heart, Feel the tummy, look over the limbs and spine all can be completed by any competent GP.

If my car needed servicing I would shop around for the best deal, I do not understand why I cannot do it with the Pre-employment medical, especially as I am paying for this as a private patient – this just feels wrong

You could probably go direct to a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved medical examiner. Normally there is a doctor in each area who holds this approval and has a regular clinic (maybe a couple of times a month) at a private hospital. However, I very much doubt this would be any cheaper.

mattcanary

Surely your employer should pay for this if they require you to take a medical before employing you?

Uncertain

mattcanary wrote: »

Surely your employer should pay for this if they require you to take a medical before employing you?

Well they don't have to i'm afraid.

NICCIW06

As expensive as it might be, it is just that a work related direct expense..and therefore she should be able to claim the money back on her tax return!
If your daughter is unemployed speak to the Job center sometimes they will pay for these type of expenses if it is required to gain employement.
When my husband has expenses of this nature, he can hand the reciepts with a claim form into payroll and they get reimbursed his next wage!
May also be advisable to check with the tax office..you may not have to wait until your next tax return for a refund.

Hope this helps :j

Uncertain

NICCIW06 wrote: »

As expensive as it might be, it is just that a work related direct expense..and therefore she should be able to claim the money back on her tax return!.......

........May also be advisable to check with the tax office..you may not have to wait until your next tax return for a refund.

It helps but that only gets you the TAX that you have paid on that amount of earnings back, not the whole cost! It would ultimately save £24 on a £120 bill.