11 - Where no agreement applies
Work that can be undertaken by any doctor, where no suggested fees are made
Note: The main BMA guidance Fees for part-time medical services, to which this is a supplement, provides advice to members on some of the factors they might find it helpful to consider when setting their own professional rates in the absence of BMA suggested fees.
Reports and examinations
- assessment of mining injury – counter certificate required by branches when a miners’ union is considering contesting the decision of an industrial injuries tribunal
- court exemption – from attending as a witness, on medical grounds
- drivers/pilots – full medical examination and completion of forms for vocational drivers licence (large goods vehicles and passenger carrying vehicles, taxi etc
- fitness to drive for insurance purposes (elderly driver, racing driver etc)
- aviation licence (pilots)
- fitness for sport
- report for patients for self-referral overseas
- seat belt exemption
- private prescription for private patient, or drugs required for travel abroad (private or NHS patient)
- abortion (confirmatory) certificate – second certificate under the Abortion Act 1967 in cases where the patient is not on the GP’s NHS list
- a fee per course of injections (excluding cost of vaccines) if no remuneration is payable by the PCT or health board
i) travel vaccines that are not provided anywhere under the NHS for public health reasons can be privately provided by practices
ii) a limited number of travel vaccines are provided on the NHS for public health reasons, and the general practitioners committee has produced a document entitled Focus on vaccinations and immunisations.
iii) some practices will have opted out of providing additional service for vaccinations and immunisations, therefore they cannot provide any vaccine available on the NHS to their patients. They could privately provide vaccines not available on the NHS.
Further information on this area may be sought from the general practitioners committee.
Family planning
- for patients not on a GP’s list, a fee for prescribing and fitting a contraceptive appliance, and a fee for prescribing and fitting an intra-uterine device
- where the patient is not on NHS list, a fee for the procedure, excluding the cost of drugs and dressings
- for venesection or urine testing not undertaken as part of treatment and not involving disputed paternity, including notifying the result to the patient (but excluding laboratory costs)
- for a saliva test not involving HIV testing (ie nicotine)
- for a cervical smear taken at the request of a patient not on the GP’s NHS list, including notifying the result to the patient (excluding processing costs)
- for a simple X-ray eg chest (inclusive of charges payable to hospital if performed in an NHS X-ray department)
- for a recording of ECG
- per report (opinion) on previous recording of ECG
- medical examination, counselling and taking blood
- counselling and taking blood only
- counselling and saliva test only
- certificate of negative result for travel abroad
- for pathology (including proportion payable to the hospital if NHS facilities used)
Attendance at patient's request at a police station
Professional attendance at private events (including sporting events)
Note: In January 2001 the BMA's board of science launched a pamphlet entitled Doctors' assistance to sports clubs and sporting events - look here. Copies can be requested from askBMA - go there.
Lectures
- eg for a college of further education
Medico-legal work
- for reports and qualifying work, and attendance in court, by doctors engaged as expert or professional witnesses by solicitors acting in cases not covered by the rates issued by the Crown Prosecution Service and the Lord Chancellor’s Department (the Procurator Fiscal and the Crown Office in Scotland) (see Fees guidance schedules 10 (England and Wales) - go there, 10a (Scotland) - go there and 10b (Northern Ireland) - go there)
- statements of fact
- signing photocard driving licences
- witnessing passport applications