Private work is not covered by the NHS. The preparation of private letters/reports/forms has to be completed outside of NHS time and as such there is a fee payable. All of these tasks require the doctor to take time to review a patient’s medical records to ensure that the information provided is correct, the letter/report/form then has to be generated and sent to the patient and/or third party. Because of this, we are unfortunately unable to waive or discount the fee.
“How long will it take?”
Private letters/reports/certificates etc. do not take priority over NHS work and hence may take some time to prepare. Please allow at least 30 working days for reports from receipt of payment and be aware that these are not regulatory SLAs and depending on workload, it may take longer.
“I need it today/tomorrow/next week/sooner”
We understand that receiving your medical reports promptly is important. To ensure accuracy and fairness for all our patients, please take note of the following guidance:
Processing Times: We are unfortunately unable to expedite or fast-track individual medical report requests.
Our Commitment: Our team will always do their best to complete your report as soon as possible, ensuring it is thorough and clinically accurate.
Plan Ahead: We kindly remind patients to leave ample time when submitting a request, particularly if you have a deadline for insurance, employment, or legal purposes.
We appreciate your patience and understanding.
“I only need the doctor’s signature”
When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true.
To complete even the simplest of forms, the doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record. Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the police.
“I need an amendment to the letter I’ve received”
If an amendment to a letter is required, please make another request here under ‘Questions and Admin’. You will be sent a questionnaire to detail the type of amendment you are requesting. Please note that depending on the type and complexity of your request we may charge you an additional fee.
“The doctor has to write these exact words…”
We are very sorry, but we usually cannot accept requests for the doctor to write the letter in a specific way. The doctor will write what they know is supported by your medical record, and reserve the right to refuse your request or provide alternative wording.
Please note: Our doctors can only provide letters or reports which are factually accurate based on your medical records. They cannot modify them based on individual preferences or requirements. If you request changes to letters or reports which do not match your medical records, your request will not be actioned.
What is eRD? Electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) allows your GP practice to send a batch of repeat prescriptions to your nominated pharmacy in advance. This means you don’t need to request a new prescription each time you run out of your regular medication.
How does it work? We can authorise a batch of prescriptions to cover up to 12 months of medication (depending on your review schedule and condition). These prescriptions are stored electronically and automatically sent to your chosen pharmacy at regular intervals – usually every 28 or 56 days.
Do I need to request a new prescription each time? No. If you are on eRD, your prescriptions will be automatically available at your pharmacy when they are due. You only need to contact the practice when:
You are nearing the end of your batch (your pharmacist can tell you how many are left),
There has been a change to your medication,
You have been asked to book a medication review or blood test,
Or your pharmacy advises that there is no further batch available.
What should I do if my pharmacy says they don’t have my prescription? Sometimes, pharmacies may not download the next prescription batch automatically. If this happens, ask your pharmacist to check whether your next prescription is available on the NHS Spine under Electronic Repeat Dispensing. If the batch has ended, your pharmacist will advise you to contact the practice.
I’ve just registered with GP at Hand – what happens to my eRD prescriptions?
When you register with a new GP practice, any existing eRD prescriptions from your previous practice are automatically cancelled as part of the registration process. You should request a pharmacist appointment to review your medications. Once this is complete and your repeat medications have been confirmed, we can restart your eRD at your nominated pharmacy.
How can I tell if I’m on eRD? If you collect your regular medications from the same pharmacy each time and rarely need to request prescriptions from the practice, you are likely on eRD. You can confirm this by asking your pharmacy.
Benefits of eRD
Helps ensure you always have your regular medication on time.
Saves time – no need to order each prescription.
Reduces delays and admin for both patients and the practice.
Please be aware that our practice does not post prescriptions. Every effort is made to send prescriptions electronically. However, due to NHS infrastructure, electronic prescribing is not available outside of England or for private prescriptions. If you are a GP at Hand registered patient and are travelling to Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland and need a prescription, you will need to access local healthcare services.
If a private prescription is required, it must be collected in person from our Drummond Street clinic reception (NW1 3HP). These prescriptions must be printed and signed. Once your prescription is ready, our Front of House team will notify you via SMS. When collecting, please provide your full name, date of birth, and postcode to the receptionist.
Please note: Prescriptions not collected within 28 days will be securely destroyed.
Once you are registered with the NHS app, you can use this to book an appointment, send us a message, view your upcoming and past appointments, view your medical record, request repeat prescriptions and more.
Once you are logged in, you can access the following services.
To book an appointment:
Select ‘Services’ > ‘View all’
Select ‘Contact your GP about a health problem’
Note: due to the slighly confusing way the NHS app works, ‘Check for available GP appointments’ will always show that no appointments are available, and will instead direct you back to ask us for medical advice, using the above option. Just fill in the triage form as usual and you will be able to book or will be advised on next steps. We are trying to get this changed.
To send us a message or ask an administrative query:
Select ‘Services’ > ‘View all’
Select ‘Contact your GP surgery for a document or update’
To view or request a repeat prescription:
Select ‘Request repeat prescriptions’ under ‘Services’
You can then view the status of any repeat prescriptions you have requested under ‘View and manage prescriptions’ under ‘Your health’
To view your medical record:
Select ‘GP health record’ under ‘Your health’
To view your test results:
Select ‘Your health’ > ‘View all’
Select ‘Test results and imaging’
To view upcoming and past appointments:
Select ‘GP health record’ under ‘Your health’
You may also see services, letters, results and appointments from hospitals and other services you have been referred to on the NHS app. The NHS team are continuing to add to the services available via the NHS app, so this will expand even more with time.
To ensure all of our patients can communicate effectively with their healthcare team, GP at Hand offers translation services through “Silent Sounds”, the provider that has been commissioned by the Northwest London ICB.
Telephone Translation
For telephone / video appointments, Silent Sounds offer translation for over 43 languages. Please book your appointment as per usual via our Smart Triage service on the website. At the beginning of your appointment please advise your clinician of the language you require. They will then access an appropriate telephone interpreter and will consult with you via 3-way-conference call.
British Sign Language (BSL) Translation
Please note that BSL services are only available for face-to-face appointments at one of our clinics. If you require a BSL interpreter for an upcoming appointment, please use the ‘Ask a Question’ option via our Smart Triage service. We will then arrange for a qualified interpreter from “Silent Sounds” to be present at your in-person consultation. Please note that arranging a BSL appointment can take up to 10 days, so if you feel that your query is urgent, consider contacting the NHS 111 BSL Relay service or attending ED as appropriate.
Why won’t the practice take over prescribing from a private specialist?
NHS GPs are only able to prescribe medicines that are approved for use within NHS guidance and local Integrated Care Board (ICB) policies. When a patient sees a private specialist, that clinician remains responsible for any treatment they recommend, including providing prescriptions and monitoring.
If the treatment is not routinely prescribed in the NHS or falls outside local policy, we are unable to take over prescribing responsibility. This ensures patient safety and consistent prescribing standards across the NHS.
What is an “off-label” medication?
An “off-label” medication is one that is used for a purpose not included in its official licence (for example, a drug licensed for smoking cessation being prescribed for a mental health condition). Specialists may sometimes use medicines off-label based on their clinical judgement, but NHS GPs are not obliged to continue such prescriptions unless this use is supported by national or local NHS guidance.
Why can’t my GP prescribe my off-label medication on the NHS?
Prescribing off-label requires specialist oversight, monitoring and responsibility. NHS GPs can only prescribe off-label medicines where there is clear evidence of safety, local approval and shared care arrangements agreed by the ICB. If these are not in place, the prescribing and monitoring remain the responsibility of the initiating private specialist.
Who is responsible for ensuring I have no break in treatment?
If you are under the care of a private specialist, they are responsible for ensuring there is no interruption in your treatment. A specialist should not discharge you or allow a break in medication until it is confirmed that your NHS GP has formally agreed to take over prescribing.
Can I discuss alternative NHS treatment options?
Yes. If your current treatment cannot be prescribed through the NHS, you can book an appointment with one of our GPs to discuss NHS-approved alternatives that may be suitable for your condition.
This information is provided to help patients understand how NHS and private care interact, and to ensure treatments are managed safely and in line with NHS prescribing policies.
Please be aware that our practice does not post prescriptions. Every effort is made to send prescriptions electronically. However, due to NHS infrastructure, electronic prescribing is not available outside of England or for private prescriptions. If you are a GP at Hand registered patient in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland and need a prescription, you will need to access local healthcare services.
If a private prescription is required, it must be collected in person from our Drummond Street clinic reception (NW1 3HP). These prescriptions must be printed and signed. Once your prescription is ready, our Front of House team will notify you via SMS. When collecting, please provide your full name, date of birth, and postcode to the receptionist.
Please note: Prescriptions not collected within 28 days will be securely destroyed.
The NHS are gradually rolling out Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for weight loss.
This roll out is starting with those who have a BMI over 40 kg/m2 PLUS four or more weight-related conditions.
The criteria are very strict – you can read more here. Tirzepatide will only be prescribed by the NHS as part of a comprehensive treatment plan developed by a multidisciplinary team. This means that anyone prescribed the drug must also engage with weight management support, including lifestyle changes, behavioural advice, and increased physical activity.
Our local NHS requires us to refer anyone who meets the criteria for Tirezepatide treatment to specialist weight management services, and at present NHS GPs are NOT allowed to prescribe these medications directly.
If you’re living with obesity or weight-related health issues, we understand that the journey can be emotional, frustrating, and difficult. The NHS website also has advice on making changes to your lifestyle to help you lose weight. Tips to help you lose weight – NHS
You may wish to explore accessing Mounjaro, or GLP-1 medication in general, privately. There are a number of companies that you could choose from, but we would recommend a provider that has a full wrap-around care and support package such as SheMed or HeMed.
Last updated: 16th July 2025. We will update this information as soon as this changes.
We use a system from Rapid Health, called Smart Triage to help manage our appointments and messages.
When you access the system, you will be given the choice of requesting help for a medical problem, or asking for support with an administrative query. If you require medical help, the system will ask you some simple questions to help get you to the right appointment, and will then usually allow you to book into that appointment directly. Where an appointment is not available, or your request needs further review before booking, this will be passed to our clinical team for further action. We will contact you back asap with next steps.
Why we need an email address
Rapid Health will always email you to say they received your request and passed it on to us. This reply says we got your request, what to expect and what to do if you are not well. Something is wrong if you don’t get a reply, so check your spam/junk folder if you don’t see one. Send another request or call us if you don’t get a reply within 15 minutes of sending your request.
If you have an email address on your record, we can offer you self-booking, using the email address you put on your request (if a self-booking appointment is available).
We allow patients without an email address on their record to send requests using Rapid Health but for your safety and security, these requests can’t be offered appointment self-booking, as we need to check the patient identity first. Please contact us to add an email address to your record if required.
Using a different email address
If you use a different email address for a request from the one on your patient record, we’ll send replies to the email address you used for the request, but will also send a security email to the email address on your record. Security emails say only that we got a request for you (or that an appointment was booked/changed/cancelled for you) and if this wasn’t you, to contact the practice.
If a different email address is used for a request for a child from what is on their record, a security email is sent to the email address on their record.
Shared email addresses and devices
If you want to keep your requests private from someone you share an email address with, it’s best to change your email address on your record. You can send us an Update personal details request via Rapid Health. Our reply will just say we got a request from you – it will not say that you asked to change your details.
Our email replies
We send our reply and any appointment links to the email address you put on the Request. Our standard automated emails never repeat what you said in a request but if someone at the Practice replies personally to your request, their reply may reflect information in your request. This reply will go to the email address you gave on your request.
The reply we send to the email address on a child’s record (if there is one and it is different from an email address you use for a child request) just says we got a request for them and if this is a mistake to let us know – it does not say what kind of request has been made.
Why do you ask for Sex at Birth?
We ask this for your safety, so you can be asked the right medical questions.
Booking appointments online with us
There may be times when we send you a link to self-book an appointment with us, or you might book an appointment such as for a vaccination.
Why do I need to provide information for these appointments?
When we send you a link to book into an appointment, we have ‘pre-qualified’ you for that appointment, so we only ask for some personal details before you book it. Where you come to the website to book a type of appointment such as a vaccination or cervical smear test, we ask questions to check the appointment is right and safe for you. If you want an appointment because you have a medical need, we ask questions to help us understand how soon to see you, or if we need to suggest A&E for your safety.
