Patients over here need a note after around three days mostly, and after
that most companies insist on doctors' cert. There is a general agreement
that it is at the patient's cost, at the normal fee (we feel mean charging a
full fee for a three minute exam, but the patients understand the deal).
It's bad enough charging $35 (UKP11) for this, but UKP25 ?? Phew, that's a
bit rich ....
PS: For a single day off sick I tend to get the nurse to assess the patient
and sign a note (after all it is only to ensure it is a genuine sickie, not
a complex examination for metastatic miliary tuberculosis) for those truly
miserable employers who insist on a note for such a short time off, and it
is signed RN (Practice Nurse). Then they only get charged a nurse fee (UKP3)
and if the boss doesn't like it they can send them back at the company's
expense to see a "doc".
Works OK.
IMHO the problem is you lot have got to start charging the patients.
Jon Wilcox
Auckland
(Home of a Million Candles)


-----Original Message-----
From: Ruth Livingstone <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, March 03, 1998 8:57 AM
Subject: RE: Lost the Battle - Bomb the B*rstards


>Some time ago, I sent the following message
>----------------------------------------------------
>I was in a belligerent mood myself this morning.
>An obviously ill patient dragged herself into morning surgery, apologised
for
>attending, said she knew she had the bad flu-like virus doing the rounds at
>present, and there was nothing I could do. But, after leaving work early
>yesterday because of high temp and shivers, she had an evening telephone
call
>from her boss, saying she MUST attend a doctor the next day, for
confirmation
>that she was really ill.
>She appears to have a good work record, and hardly ever attends surgery.
>Examination revealed nothing untoward, apart from high temp, and reddish
>throat.
>Got her permission to write to her boss.
>Sent her home to bed.
>
>Then wrote letter to her boss, explaining I had conducted a medical
>examination for the purpose of confirming sickness, that this wasn't
covered
>by NHS and enclosed a bill for £27.
>
>Will let you know what happens :-)
>----------------------------------------------------
>
>What happened was this
>Boss summoned unfortunate patient into office
>handed her the bill for £27,
>and said "You pay, nothing to do with us."
>Patient turned up at surgery all agitated
>until reassured  that no payment needed.
>
>I then wrote to boss, and suggested, to avoid future
>embarassment, nobody should instruct employees
>to attend doctors for purpose of medical exam for
>sick certification, within the first 7 days of illness,
>unless they were happy to pay our professional fees.
>
>No reply as yet.
>
>--
>Ruth
>http://www.stamford.co.uk/littlesurgery/
>
>



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%