At our practice, we work hard to provide timely care and services to all our patients. However, non-NHS requests can take up to 30 days to process. We understand this may feel like a long time, but we want to explain why this timeframe is necessary and ask for your understanding.
Many patients are also surprised to learn that some services provided by your GP are not covered by the NHS. These are called non-NHS requests and include tasks like completing forms, subject access requests and writing letters. Because some of these requests fall outside of the scope of routine NHS care, they require extra time and resources, which is why a fee is charged.
Non-NHS tasks are not part of the day-to-day clinical care we provide and require additional time and resources. These requests involve thorough document review, verification, and completion by our busy medical team, who are also managing the needs of NHS patients. Given our commitment to providing high-quality care, we need time to balance these non-NHS tasks with our primary responsibility—caring for patients.
Unfortunately, in recent months, our staff has experienced increasing levels of abusive behaviour from patients when it comes to delays with these requests. While we understand frustrations around waiting times, abuse towards our staff is never acceptable. We ask all patients to be respectful and considerate as we work through these requests in the order they are received.
We remain committed to serving you as efficiently as possible and appreciate your patience and kindness during this time. If you have any questions regarding the status of your request, please feel free to contact our team—we are here to help.
