neo-ninja Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Hi Guys, I was after some legal advice. I am in the middle of buying a new house. As part of our new mortgage we have had to setup life insurance (perfectly normal) as part of the insurance company need our GP to complete a form. The mortgage company need this to finalise the mortgage. This is where the issue is, the GP received the form mid September, and still have not completed it! Our mortgage broker and us have chased the surgery and each time been told the GP will do it. But they still havent and finally today we have had a final warning from the insurance company saying they need it this week. The mortgage is required to have it. I am a bit miffed (and a little stressed out) by it all and really feel that the GP could cause us to lose the mortage and therefore the house. (Im pretty sure it wont get to that!) but i want to make quite a serious threat but wondered legally what i can do. As they do need to get it signed and back today. Any advice would be good, my next step would be to drive down there this afternoon and litrally sit there until they do it. But i really dont feel like i should have to do that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Oh I know this feeling only too well Drive down there and sit there until it's done. It's the only way. Anything else you do will take you past the threshold limit of this week and then you're stuffed. Ring the surgery, tell them you're coming down and expect the form to be signed. Legally it's not worth anything, as you could only sue for the cost of the signed letter not for anything related to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Interesting. When ive got mortgages in the past ive never been asked to make sure I have life insurance in place. Sure enough the IFA usually asks about it as they get extra commission if they sell it to you, but its never been a condition of having a mortgage issued. Usually banks dont tend to care as they know if you keel over then your house will more than likely be sold as part of your estate and they get their money back. On the GP front, as Ekona says, id go down there and wait until they sign it. I guess what you should have done is to book an appointment to see the doc and get him to sign it in front of you. As a side note, GP`s might charge for this, at least my local one certainly does if you ask him to sign anything such as passport photo verification etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouthwash Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Probably be quicker to qualify as a GP and sign the document yourself. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Could you go private, might cost you £150 notes or there abouts but then you'd have it. I'm not sure if it's possible but you can see specialists if you're willing to pay. Might be worth calling private hospital near you see if they'd do it. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo-ninja Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share Posted October 29, 2015 Thanks guys its pretty crap service from them tbh and really it just feels like over 1 month is excessive amount of time to sign a form and send it back. Annoying there is no legal recourse if stuff falls through, from my point of view I just want to make a threat. But sounds like i am going to have to sit with them tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Sounds like you should switch GPs if you've got problems with yours. By the way, a GP receives money for each client it has on the books regardless of if they actually use the GPs services or not which hardly motivates them to perform well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I'm assuming this form is just to release medical records, or something similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 (edited) GPs will charge for any kind of insurance work. Their NHS contract pays them to do NHS work, doing insurance form stuff isn't and SHOULDNT be NHS work. You can argue about what should/shouldn't be NHS work, but IVF, cancer therapy, elective surgery are all higher up on the priority list than insurance forms. I would though go and speak to them in person to try and them to do on the basis that it's causing you lots of stress. I'm not a GP. But certainly in hospital we're quite happy to sort out thing for people even though we aren't always been paid for it (Jermey Hunt is trying very hard to stop this). We're are human beings at the end of the day, and I would hope if you explain your situation in person than someone will try to get things done quicker.... But threatening with legal action....Thats isn't going to motivate anyone to do anything for you. You can make a scene at the reception desk, but your looks pretty stupid doing it in front of a waiting full of people who are actually ill. Edited October 30, 2015 by gangzoom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 (edited) . By the way, a GP receives money for each client it has on the books regardless of if they actually use the GPs services or not which hardly motivates them to perform well. Absolutely the only real way to fund a health service is to have an insurance based policy, or a pay as you go method. The NHS currently offered the most EFFICENT healthcare model in the entire world, and it's still going broke. A fully privatised NHS is what the Tory government is going for, but you better start making sure your company can get you a decent health care plan - US style. Arfter all most Tory voters will be able to afford private health care insurance. The funding for the NHS currently HAS to be population based - As in the people who are we'll help to pay for care of people who are unwell. The majority of people in hosptial are elderly, longterm sick and retired, there is no way on earth these people can afford health insurance. The US system has some of the worst disparity in health care access for the poor Vs rich any where in the world. If the people in the UK turly want a private insurance based healthcare system than great, lets scrap the NHS and copy the Americans - But I still think the fact the poorest people in the UK get the same access to healthcare as the richest is something quite amazing and worth hanging on to. Edited October 30, 2015 by gangzoom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 (edited) Probably be quicker to qualify as a GP and sign the document yourself. Really?? 5 years of medical school - 20:1 competition ratio, minimal AAB at A levels to even apply - Most applicants have AAA grades. £9K per year of tuition fees for 5-6 years - £35k if you go private. 2 years of foundation training been paid £22k basic salary. 3-5 years of GP training. Than work another 1-2 years before you can think about been a GP partner....I know the NHS can be slow, but 12 years I've been working for 10 years (15 if you include medical school) now and still a 'junior doctor', and will be for another 3 years atleast.....Oh and if Jermey Hunt gets his way, apparently I can forget counting Saturday's as my own time because my 'routine' working hours will now go from 8:45am Monday to 8.45pm Saturday. Cheers Jermey for at least letting me have Sunday off work - Maybe I should just put a tent up in the hospital car park, who need to have a life outside of work anyway - It's not like I've spent the last 4 Xmas days in hosptial - Oh wait I did . Edited October 30, 2015 by gangzoom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggalo Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Take out your own policy that doesn't require a medical. You can do it on-line in 20 minutes. Simple. Bit odd though, I've never been told I need life insurance to get a mortgage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Oh I know this feeling only too well Drive down there and sit there until it's done. It's the only way. Anything else you do will take you past the threshold limit of this week and then you're stuffed. Ring the surgery, tell them you're coming down and expect the form to be signed. Legally it's not worth anything, as you could only sue for the cost of the signed letter not for anything related to it. This......and demand to see the Practice Manager if reception is not helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toon Chris Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Probably be quicker to qualify as a GP and sign the document yourself. Really?? 5 years of medical school - 20:1 competition ratio, minimal AAB at A levels to even apply - Most applicants have AAA grades. £9K per year of tuition fees for 5-6 years - £35k if you go private. 2 years of foundation training been paid £22k basic salary. 3-5 years of GP training. Than work another 1-2 years before you can think about been a GP partner....I know the NHS can be slow, but 12 years So you are saying 50/50 then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toon Chris Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 [This......and demand to see the Practice Manager if reception is not helpful. +1 this. Its the Practice Manager you want to talk to. Phone them first and see what they say. Tell them you will be down on Monday (not today) as next working day is more reasonable. Remaining polite will get you further . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouthwash Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Probably be quicker to qualify as a GP and sign the document yourself. Really?? 5 years of medical school - 20:1 competition ratio, minimal AAB at A levels to even apply - Most applicants have AAA grades. £9K per year of tuition fees for 5-6 years - £35k if you go private. 2 years of foundation training been paid £22k basic salary. 3-5 years of GP training. Than work another 1-2 years before you can think about been a GP partner....I know the NHS can be slow, but 12 years I've been working for 10 years (15 if you include medical school) now and still a 'junior doctor', and will be for another 3 years atleast.....Oh and if Jermey Hunt gets his way, apparently I can forget counting Saturday's as my own time because my 'routine' working hours will now go from 8:45am Monday to 8.45pm Saturday. Cheers Jermey for at least letting me have Sunday off work - Maybe I should just put a tent up in the hospital car park, who need to have a life outside of work anyway - It's not like I've spent the last 4 Xmas days in hosptial - Oh wait I did . You must be a right barrel of laughs on a night out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy78 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Sounds like you should switch GPs if you've got problems with yours. By the way, a GP receives money for each client it has on the books regardless of if they actually use the GPs services or not which hardly motivates them to perform well. Not strictly true. GP's get a basic payment for their list size and everything else on top of that is calculated via QOF (Quality Outcomes Framework), which is absolutely about seeing patients. Trust me, there is a huge motivation to see patients for QOF alone. This time of year is flu season, so all GP's will be absolutely at capacity. Whilst I appreciate that you may be annoyed that the GP hasn't signed your form, they have much more important things to worry about. Most GP's are already stretched to the max without having additional non medical related admin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 When I have to sign such forms for my patients, once I have identified what kind of form it is the patient is told what the charge is and normally told to return in a day or two NOT 6 WEEKS! Any form which only requires 15 mins or so of my time should not take this long. At the very least this GP should feel a little embarrassed by the whole situation. As mentioned above, inform the practice manager and GP of the situation and that it is imperitive the form is completed ASAP. Find out when the GP finishes on your chosen day. Forward them of your visit. Go a bit early and collect in person. Stay calm and play the damsel in distress card. The sympathy card works better than the threatening one. If the GP is still not sympathetic they obviously are lacking in any compassion and wouldn't respond to threatening behavior any faster. Hope it all goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 PS. Maybe he has lost the form so get a new copy printed off too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo-ninja Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 Hey guys, Little update, as a few peeps have said above its not for any fitness tests or anything. Its litrally a form that says the insurance company can have my records (and my wifes) apparently super basic (although i have not seen it). I called up the GPs and was basically super stern on the phone explaining its really not on and if it wasnt filled out that day i would be down there that evening until the GP had done it. They have no apparently done it and faxed it back to my broker. Just a real pain in the backside and very frustrating. All sorted now! Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veilside z Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I'm glad you had it sorted in the end. I have had these issues with my GP, I always make it clear that I will pay them for this service to have any correspondence done, so its not as if they are doing me a favour, however some letters they will charge for and others not. As long as I am paying for a service, then don't feel guilty chasing them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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