Has anyone else been asked to pay medical reports

Has anyone been asked to pay for reports from their GPs for the PIP assessment? My GP has informed me that I will have to pay for any reports they provide. I contacted my local hospital and they have said they cannot send out any reports as am not currently undergoing any treatment.

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Yes, I'm afraid that this kind of thing is not considered a part of the basic NHS contract, so GPs are allowed to charge for letters/reports for DWP. It is not so bad if the report is very helpful - but they are not always! A letter that relates directly to the 'descriptors' for the benefit in question would be of most help.

In addition to this, you are also entitled to see your GP records and have copies of anything that you think would be helpful (such as letters from consultants). Of course, there is a charge for this too (and you might not be able to get it done in time to submit the claim form).

Requesting your medical records

Charging for medical records

If you have old records at the hospital, you should also be able to get a copy of these. You might have to submit a Subject Access Request and, again, it is unlikely that this would happen in time to return a claim form if you have one in front of you.

The information below deals with submitting a SAR to DWP but it would be a similar process when dealing with a hospital

Requesting a Subject Access Request (SAR) :

SAR Form Download

From this page :

DWP Data Protection Policy

Or you can make the request in the form of a letter, as long as you make it clear that you are making a formal SAR under The Data Protection Act 1998.

Address the envelope : FAO The Data Controller, at the Benefits Office dealing with your PIP.

Write DPA 1998 SAR in front, top, left corner of envelope.

Once received, they have 40 calendar days to comply.

Are you actually in the process of claiming a benefit, or are you getting things organised for when the time comes?

May I suggest that you bookmark/favourite this on your web browser now so that you can find it easily in future? This will allow you to add further questions or comments without having to start a new topic each time. It helps us enormously when everything relating to the same claim is kept in one topic - and I hope you will find it useful too

My GP records from 2008 to current date cost me £50, as did my records from hospital. Mixed bag of several hundred pages but worth it to cherry pick the most helpful.... well, it will be worth it if I get transferred from DLA to PIP at the same rates. Fingers crossed

I've just collected my GP records. If you ask for records that are held electronically they'll only charge you £10 - this is what I opted for. If you want paper based records as well the charge is up to a maximum of £50. You might be able to get electronic records on a disc rather than printed out if you prefer.

NHS fees for accessing medical records