A doctor’s priority will always be the care provided for patients under the NHS. Time spent completing forms and preparing reports adds to their already heavy workload and non-NHS work is generally done in the doctors’ own time. The patient may feel that they only require a doctor’s signature on a form which should not take long, but a condition of remaining on the Medical Register is that a doctor only signs what they know to be true. They therefore may need to check the patient’s entire medical record to avoid serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (GMC). The waiting time for non-NHS work and services completed outside normal working hours is therefore likely to be affected by this.

Patients are advised that any documentation to be completed by a doctor may, in general, take approximately 5-7 working days (dependent upon the availability of the doctor concerned and any factors such as annual leave, sickness, etc)