This is another of my hobby-horses.
To my mind this is close to fraud and I have previously contacted the NHS fraud squad about it but have not yet heard back.
We also get requests via the same route, and I have pursued the request route on several samples now with the approval, and even collusion of the GPs in question. I have quite a dossier of examples.
My main beef is with the private clinics since they seem to give the client the impression, sometimes quite explicitly, that they can get the tests done by the GP. The worst case I came across offered the tests free if the GP could not do them since the client was donating eggs. (see attached)
I accept that it may be up to my bit of the NHS to get it's act together in terms of providing such tests for private patients, and indeed this might be a reasonable source of income, but I feel that the onus is on the referring clinics to treat their NHS colleagues fairly, and not to hoodwink the GPs. There is no doubt that it would be in everybody's interest to have all the results in the same place, and it is an unnecessary, and no doubt unfunded, burden on the GP to have to collate all the multitude of results for the clinic.
I have even spoken to the 'requesting' consultant at one of the private clinics, whose name appeared at the top of the list of tests which included the cost if done in-house for the client's comparison, and was informed that it is being done "all the time".
If you feel the same, or have seen such, this is cc:ed to the relevant authority.
with best wishes
Richard
Richard Mainwaring-Burton
Consultant Biochemist
South London Healthcare Trust
Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich
Princess Royal Hospital, Farnborough
020-8863-5724
020-8308-3084
mob: 07831-739876
________________________________________
From: Clinical biochemistry discussion list [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Louise Tilbrook [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 28 June 2011 12:22
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Anti-mullerian hormone
We are receiving an increasing number of requests from AMH via GPs from patients undergoing private fertility work. Obviously we are not funded to undertake such work but in the past, there has been the odd time when we have forwarded a specimen for AMH to a private lab and invoiced the patient directly.
I am not very comfortable with this approach for a number of reasons (not least the logistics involved in chasing individual patients for payment) and I wondered what approach list members took with requests such as this. Whilst the natural response is to want to help and accomodate such requests I wonder whether it would be more sensible just to inform GPs that we are not able to help with such requests and that the patient must contact the clinic for advice and assistance?
I would be happy to collate responses - many thanks in advance
Louise Tilbrook
Principal Clinical Scientist
Dept of Clinical Biochemistry
Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust
Chelmsford
CM1 7ET
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