The Village Practice is committed to supporting our patients.All requests for letters for benefits, council or any other third parties, we will only complete with a formal request from the third party.
Please note all requests from the third party will require the patients formal consent.
We will only complete factual responses. We are not allowed to give an opinion. If in doubt we will refuse to complete the request and may issue a copy of medical records instead with your consent.
Housing Applications
If you are intending to apply for a council home for health reasons, YOU DO NOT NEED A DOCTOR’S LETTER. You can request a copy of your full medical records as a subject access request which is free of charge and can be emailed to you, subject access requests can take up to 28days to process. Please be aware you can also access your medical records via the NHS App.
The Council will write, in confidence, to your doctor if further information is required.
GPs receive frequent requests for medical letters and reports in support of housing applications from a variety of sources – the local authority, housing associations, directly from patients and from patients via Citizens Advice Bureaux. The arrangements for seeking GP reports and for payment vary from local authority area to local authority area, and even when clearly agreed are often not implemented by local authority staff. However all requests should come via the Housing Association and not the patient.
Supportive Letters
The practice does not offer supportive letters based on opinion. If you require any information relating to you medical conditions please request a copy of your full medical records as a subject access request which is free of charge and can be emailed to you, subject access requests can take up to 28days to process. Please be aware you can also access your medical records via the NHS App