Charging patients who fail to attend non-NHS medicals
GPs and practice staff often find it frustrating when a non-NHS medical (or other chargeable non-NHS work) has been booked, such as for a taxi licence, and the patient fails to attend. However, this does not mean that the practice can automatically charge the patient for non-attendance.
The arrangement for the medical is purely a private one between the patient and the doctor, so unless it has been explicitly specified at the time of booking that failure to attend will result in a charge being levied, it will be difficult to enforce a payment request. Sometimes even when patients have been advised it can be difficult obtaining the payment.
The simplest thing to do to avoid this problem is have a clear policy that all chargeable non-NHS work has to be paid for prior to it being undertaken and is non-refundable unless a minimum of 48 hours cancellation is given.
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