Supportive Letters
The Village Practice is dedicated to patient support, though it’s important to note that GPs are not contractually required to provide supportive statements, nor are there extra resources to do so. We have seen a sharp increase in demand for such requests and this is now taking significant time away from direct patient care. For this reason, the doctors at The Village Practice will no longer provide any supporting letters or reports. All requests for letters (including but not exhaustive; for benefits, council, housing, immigration, education/school appeals, any other non-NHS issues) will only be completed following a formal request from the third party. In these cases, we will require the patient’s formal consent. For PiP requests, the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) has a statutory obligation to ask for all the necessary medical information when it is required. A supporting letter from the GP is a duplication of this and is not required. Please see the link below for further guidance from DWP.
There are many sources of support for building a case to submit or appeal to the DWP.
- PIP claim help, plus ESA, DLA & Universal Credit (benefitsandwork.co.uk)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP) | Disability Rights UK
If you are intending to apply for a council home for health reasons, you do not need a doctor’s letter. The council will contact us directly should they require further evidence, and all requests should come via the Housing Association and not the patient.
We can support you by providing access to your medical records including hospital letters. If you require any information relating to your medical conditions, please request a copy of your medical summary or full medical records (this is called a Subject Access Request). This is free of charge and can be emailed to you. Subject Access Requests can take up to one month to process. The most effective and quickest way to access your medical records is via the NHS App. Patient Services can help you with this, if you have not used this before.
The Practice does not offer supportive letters based on opinion.
Please see our chargeable service page for a list of services we provide which are not covered by the NHS and we require payment in advance (for example, some medical examinations, certificates/letters or insurance reports.) Chargeable Services – The Village Practice London