GP wants to charge to sign a form!

DUKE

It will cost your Dad a lot more if he has to pay his council tax.

Michtaylor09

AngelOfTheNorth wrote: »

The damage would be if they made an error, obviously. If a GP made a mistake for whatever reason and wrongly confirmed that someone had dementia when they didn't, the relevant council would doubtless be very unhappy. Rightly so! They might well seek to recover damages from someone. I'm not an insurance professional so I don't know whether it would be from the GPs own insurance or whether the employer would be held liable. No doubt you'll say don't make a mistake then, but the thing with humans is that we do.

It would be interesting to see if PALS or indeed any other body would have anything to say about a GP simply declining to do something that's not clinical work. Clearly if they're charging, that's a breach, but there doesn't appear to be any obligation on them to do it either.

Dementia is usually diagnosed by a ct or mri scan, it isnt the gp who diagnose it.
A gp will usually do a memory test then refer them on to a memory clinic if the patient shows signs of dementia. The gp will then get a letter telling them the results of the scans and of the diagnosis.
I cant see where the gp could make a mistake, can you?

AngelOfTheNorth

Michtaylor09 wrote: »

Dementia is usually diagnosed by a ct or mri scan, it isnt the gp who diagnose it.
A gp will usually do a memory test then refer them on to a memory clinic if the patient shows signs of dementia. The gp will then get a letter telling them the results of the scans and of the diagnosis.

This doesn't refute any of my points. A GP is evidently considered competent to confirm that a person has a dementia diagnosis. If they weren't, clearly they wouldn't be asked to do it. If their status as a doctor wasn't the reason they specifically are being asked to give confirmation, the receptionist could do it.

Michtaylor09 wrote: »

I cant see where the gp could make a mistake, can you?

Yes. It's extremely obvious. They could confirm that someone has dementia who in fact doesn't, as I said.

This is not really a matter of opinion: there's potential to make a mistake here, possibly leading to liability, and if enough GPs do enough forms, one of them will eff it up eventually. You either think they should be obliged to do them for free regardless of this, or you don't.

jobbingmusician

The GP (OK, might have been his admin) HAS made a mistake here, since he is not allowed to charge for signing this particular form.......

Guest101

Since GPs are in 9/10 cases employed (or one man operations) by private organisations, they can charge whatever they like for non-NHs work (with some exceptions - this being one of them I believe)


There is no 'side line'. The NHS contracts them to do the work, this is not 'in-house' since GPs are not 'in-house'

Michtaylor09

AngelOfTheNorth wrote: »

This doesn't refute any of my points. A GP is evidently considered competent to confirm that a person has a dementia diagnosis. If they weren't, clearly they wouldn't be asked to do it. If their status as a doctor wasn't the reason they specifically are being asked to give confirmation, the receptionist could do it.



Yes. It's extremely obvious. They could confirm that someone has dementia who in fact doesn't, as I said.

This is not really a matter of opinion: there's potential to make a mistake here, possibly leading to liability, and if enough GPs do enough forms, one of them will eff it up eventually. You either think they should be obliged to do them for free regardless of this, or you don't.

Whatever your opinion. It does not alter the fact that a GP is not permitted to charge for signing this form.
I'm sure there are other admin mistakes they could make every day where the consequences would be worse.
You don't seem to like someone having a different opinion to yours, do you?

antrobus

Michtaylor09 wrote: »

Whatever your opinion. It does not alter the fact that a GP is not permitted to charge for signing this form.
...

Yes. Let's be absolutely clear about this. The BMA has a list of 'Certificates GPs cannot charge for'. Amongst which is listed "Council tax exemptions - To support a claim by or on behalf of a severely mentally impaired person for exemption from liability to pay the Council Tax or eligibility for a discount in respect of the amount of Council Tax payable".

http://www.bma.org.uk/support-at-work/pay-fees-allowances/fees/fee-finder/fee-finder-certificates-no-charge

I presume that the BMA knows what it's on about.

rpc

antrobus wrote: »

I presume that the BMA knows what it's on about.

That nice man Jeremy Hunt would have you believe otherwise...