Administrative
During the COVID pandemic we have limited the amount of non-NHS administrative work that we do. We reserve the right to offer alternatives, signpost elsewhere, or decline some requests.
Private work
We will charge a fee for some of our services as not all are funded by the NHS.
Click here to read about why we charge private feesWhy do you sometimes charge fees?
It is important to understand that most GPs are not employed by the NHS.
We are self-employed and must cover our costs – staff, buildings etc – in the same way as any small business does. The NHS covers these costs for NHS work but for all other work, the fees we charge contribute towards these costs.
Do GPs have to do private work for their patients?
With certain exceptions GPs do not have to carry out private work on behalf of their patients. Whilst we will always attempt to assist our patients with the completion of forms, for example for insurance purposes, we are not obliged to do such non-NHS work.
Why does it sometimes take you a long time to complete my form?
Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes us away from the medical care of our patients. We have a very heavy workload and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of our time, therefore it can be difficult to complete private work outside of, and in addition to, our normal hours.
I only need the doctor’s signature – what is the problem?
When we sign a certificate or complete a report we must ensure that what we’re signing is true – this is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register. Therefore in order to complete any form we might have to check the patient’s entire medical record. Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for a doctor with the General Medical Council or even the police.
We provide the following private services:
- Supporting letters
- Letters explaining need for medications to travel
- Reports for employers
- Private fit notes
- Insurance reports
Usually insurance companies will write to us directly once you have signed a form consenting to disclosure of information about your health. When the report is completed we will usually invoice the company directly.
Click here to see an up-to-date list of our fees.
Referrals
NHS
If you have been referred to a specialist in the hospital, the letter will be sent electronically to the hospital. We will allocate it as ‘routine’, ‘urgent’, or ‘urgent suspected cancer’ (USC). At the hospital the specialist will read the referral and allocate your case to a waiting list. They may not agree that the referral is urgent and allocate your case to a routine waiting list. Sometimes they will write back to us with advice.
This process can take up to two weeks. You should then recieve a letter stating that you are on a waiting list with an estimate of the waiting times. We do not receive a copy of this letter so if you want more detail please contact the specialist’s secretary.
Expediting referrals
If you’re worried that the waiting time is long you should contact the specialist’s secretary. They will want to know why you feel you need to be seen sooner, and whether anything has changed since we made the referral. Our hospital colleagues have a very heavy workload and shortening the waiting time is not always possible.
Private
If you would like to see someone privately, the referral process can vary. If you have health insurance we would recommend that you contact your provider to find out what steps you should take. If you don’t have insurance you need to find a specialist you’d like to see and contact them to make an appointment. There are numerous private providers available, but the largest in north Wales is Spire. Click here to go to their website. Once an appointment is arranged, they will usually advise you to get in touch with us to request a referral letter for you to to take with you.
Some local specialists work privately from Felinheli surgery. The specialities include orthopaedics, ENT (ear, nose and throat), and neurology. They receive referrals directly from us, so contact is if you would like to arrange this.